Access is denied. Trying to format a flash drive (in cmd)

laufing · 10 Dec 2016

Hello everyone! :)

I've been trying to format a 32GB flash drive. I'm using DiskPart to format it, but still have no success. I've been trying and trying, but I always encounter the same error. "DiskPart has encountered an error: Access is denied. See the System Event Log for more information". I tried different commands to format it, but I still arrive at the same error. I am the admin, so I don't think that's the problem.

LIST DISK
SELECT DISK 1
CLEAN ALL
CONVERT MBR
CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY
SELECT PARTITION 1
ACTIVE
FORMAT FS=NTFS QUICK
(I did try FAT and FAT32, none of those worked)

Help me please!

Thank you and have a nice day! :)

ICIT2LOL · 11 Dec 2016

Hello and welcome laufing mat why are you using DISKPART to format the drive?

It would just as simple to go to Computer click on the drive and format it there unless you are trying to specifically clean all that drive. My suggestion would be to use this Best Free Partition Manager for Windows | MiniTool Partition Free > run the program and use the wipe function see pic

Oh and the program is a very useful tool for lots of things such as anything to do with partitioning wiping testing etc etc

snickerz124 · 11 Dec 2016

Maybe it's write protected? You can get rid of this by:

1. Open up your start menu and click "Run"
2. Type "regedit" into the box.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
4. Now double click the "WriteProtect" key and change the value to 0.

Hope this helped you.

laufing · 11 Dec 2016

snickerz124 said:

Maybe it's write protected? You can get rid of this by:

1. Open up your start menu and click "Run"
2. Type "regedit" into the box.
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
4. Now double click the "WriteProtect" key and change the value to 0.

Hope this helped you.

Thank you so much for your time! :) :) :) :) :)

I tried this, but is it odd that my computer doesn't have that? I checked, but after I got to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control there was no StorageDevicePolicies.

ICIT2LOL · 11 Dec 2016

Hmm that is odd neither do I and I am running Pro and I would have thought that Ultimate would have had the policies setting.

Now did you try the Partition Wizard method of wiping that drive or formatting it because it is so simple. In fact if formatting is all you want to do is to do it through Windows > Computer > right click on the drive > choose Format ?? If it is write protected then it will balk at you doing that. Now some sticks come with the makers own software on it and it can be a nuisance when trying to clean or format the drive - I always get rid of that stuff through a wipe.

laufing · 11 Dec 2016

I'm currently trying your suggested software. I'm at 19%, I'll update you on what happened after it's done. :) :)

Thank you for your time! :) :)

snickerz124 · 13 Dec 2016

laufing said:

I'm currently trying your suggested software. I'm at 19%, I'll update you on what happened after it's done. :) :)

Thank you for your time! :) :)

It's been two days. Did you get the software? If you did, did it work for you?

ICIT2LOL · 13 Dec 2016

Hello laufing mate as snickers has asked have you run that software yet because it should only take a half hour to run the wipe or did you try the other method I linked.

laufing · 17 Dec 2016

Sorry i had exams this week, I was able to try the software and finished wiping. After that I really don't what to do, so what I did was create a new partition and formatted it, then after formatting it says unformatted? Am I doing something wrong?

I forgot to mention that windows doesn't allow me to format that way. Right click on drive > Format. It says "Windows was unable to complete the format". That is why I use cmd. My other flash drive was unable to format that way and I used cmd then it was K.

Thank you so much :)

ICIT2LOL · 17 Dec 2016

Ok mate now use that software I linked Partition Wizard and do as in the pic