USB stick is write protected. Unable to format

[DVDR_Dog]

I have thrown very freakin' program I can think of to try and either change attributes, delete partition, ad nauseum.
The drive in question is a Kingston Data Traveler 100 G3 32gb.
I have completed a surface test, "no errors found" so that rules that out.
I used this drive to install "Adobe Photoshop 2025 v26.11.0 (x64)\HaxNode" so I guess it's possible that may have fouled up the drive.
There is no physical write protection switch on the drive.

What's going on? It's driving me whacky!

 

[AFFASocial]

This looks like it should solve this issue. Let me know if it works

 

[DVDR_Dog]

It didn't. This is so weird. I thought of the possibility that the nature of the contents may have locked the drive. I disabled the a/v after going through all the steps suggested.
I even attempted to try and add the registry value "Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies" and set the value to zero, no good. The drive is testing OK, something is flagging it. I be darned if I could figure out what. This is what is driving me goofy, it defies logic.

 

[AFFASocial]

Methods to Remove Write Protection from Kingston Data Traveler 100 G3​

If your Kingston Data Traveler 100 G3 32GB is showing a write protection error, you can try the following methods to resolve the issue.

Registry Editor Method​

1. Open Registry Editor:
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the Key:
   
   • Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.
   • If the StorageDevicePolicies key does not exist, create it by right-clicking on Control, selecting New, then Key, and naming it StorageDevicePolicies.
3. Create or Modify DWORD:
   
   • Right-click on StorageDevicePolicies, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Name it WriteProtect.
   • Set its value to 0.
4. Restart Your Computer:
   
   • Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Diskpart Command Method​

1. Open Command Prompt:
   • Search for cmd, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Use Diskpart:
   
   • Type diskpart and press Enter.
   • Type list disk to see all connected drives.
   • Identify your Kingston USB drive and type select disk X (replace X with your drive number).
   • Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.
3. Exit Diskpart:
   
   • Type exit to close the Diskpart utility.

Additional Tips​

• Check for Physical Switch: Ensure there is no physical write protection switch on the drive.
• Format the Drive: If the above methods do not work, formatting the drive may help, but this will erase all data on it.
• Check for Defects: If the drive remains write-protected, it may be defective. Consider contacting Kingston support for further assistance or a replacement.

 

[DVDR_Dog]

Tried all that. From what I understand the controller chip onboard can get a little whacky. I'm not going to waste much more time on this, I have a box full of flash drives. The Data Traveller 100 G3 did have cool packaging.

 

[isabellaanderson]

What stands out is that clearing the readonly attribute in Diskpart didn't stick either, since that lives at the controller level and can fail independently of the registry value. Some of these older Kingston controllers go into a permanent protected state after a bad write or when they detect failing NAND, so the drive reports OK on a generic test but the firmware refuses writes. If the box of spares really is your fallback, I'd keep the G3 around only for read-only purposes and not trust it with anything new.

 

[elizabethwright]

The controller-level failure explanation makes sense of why diskpart didn't stick. I've seen drives that pass a basic check yet refuse every write attempt, which matches what you're describing about the firmware locking itself down after a bad write. Keeping the G3 for read-only use seems like a reasonable compromise rather than tossing it outright. Do you find these older Kingston controllers fail more often than drives from other brands, or is it just the age of the hardware catching up with them?

 

[DVDR_Dog]

What stands out is that clearing the readonly attribute in Diskpart didn't stick either, since that lives at the controller level and can fail independently of the registry value. Some of these older Kingston controllers go into a permanent protected state after a bad write or when they detect failing NAND, so the drive reports OK on a generic test but the firmware refuses writes. If the box of spares really is your fallback, I'd keep the G3 around only for read-only purposes and not trust it with anything new.

The behavior of this Kingston stick has been unique. I do have at least 20 of these sticks from various manufacturers, not one I have owned have failed this way.

The controller-level failure explanation makes sense of why diskpart didn't stick. I've seen drives that pass a basic check yet refuse every write attempt, which matches what you're describing about the firmware locking itself down after a bad write. Keeping the G3 for read-only use seems like a reasonable compromise rather than tossing it outright. Do you find these older Kingston controllers fail more often than drives from other brands, or is it just the age of the hardware catching up with them?

Here's a dump from Chip Genius:

Description: [D:]USB Mass Storage Device(Kingston DataTraveler 3.0)
Device Type: Mass Storage Device

Protocal Version: USB 3.00
Current Speed: High Speed
Max Current: 496mA

USB Device ID: VID = 0951 PID = 1666
Serial Number: 60A44C4252A8FE90C99300A8

Device Vendor: Kingston
Device Name: DataTraveler 3.0
Device Revision: 0001

Manufacturer: Kingston
Product Model: DataTraveler 3.0
Product Revision: 1.00

Controller Part-Number: Unknown

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This does include the advanced scan, note controller is Unknown. Something is amiss with
the memory controller.

To the best of my knowledge the USB stick has a Phison PS2251-11 controller. Due to it's age, I can't find a file to attempt to reflash the controller. So I guess it's time to open up the patient and do a little exploratory surgery.