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Flash drive no longer showing on pc after write protect fix

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flashman - Dec 16, 2017 at 09:03 AM
Ambucias Posts 47310 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 - Dec 17, 2017 at 04:24 PM
So I was trying to put a 7gig file in my flash drive, which didn't work because it was FAT32. I found this guide: https://ccm.net/computing/hardware/847-how-to-format-a-usb-flash-drive/#59

I didn't have a StorageDevicePolicies folder, so I created one and made the 0 value WriteProtect file just fine. I exited regedit, but I still couldn't format the flash. So I restarted the computer and suddenly the flash drive no longer appeared: https://i.imgur.com/CvAd17C.png (the (D:) drive is my second SSD, so that's not it). The flash drive was originally listed as (F:) in windows explorer.

I took the flash drive out, put it in, and restarted the PC several times. I've even gone back and deleted the StorageDevicePolicies folder that I created but nothing seems to work. I know the USB ports work fine because I tested them with a controller. The flash also works when I use it in a second computer but of course, the write protection is still there. Any ideas?
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2 responses

Answer 1 / 2
Ambucias Posts 47310 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 11,162
Dec 16, 2017 at 04:36 PM
Hi

In the registry, there is a search option, use it by typing StorageDevicePolicies , see if you can find it that way.
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flashman
Dec 17, 2017 at 09:45 AM
This is all I get: https://i.imgur.com/1POnnCR.png

The flash drive is a Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 16GB, if that's of any importance.
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Answer 2 / 2
Ambucias Posts 47310 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 11,162
Dec 17, 2017 at 04:24 PM
Is this the exact way you have followed?

https://ccm.net/faq/33935-how-to-format-a-write-protected-usb-flash-disk
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