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.