How to format write-protected USB flash

[Franky]

@jumanji: That thread and this one are two different subject completely. I think you know that. And about your post there, as I said there, I'm thankful than you about that grate tool you introduced me, but, among thousands files it could only recover about 10 files. Nonetheless, I said and say thank you.

Ok, so in the earlier thread it was an 8GB MicroSD card that became write-protected.

Here it is an 8GB Silicon Power Pen drive. Again it became write protected.

Should we connect these two as related events or view them as separate incidents that could have happened by coincidence is a matter of concern.

Do you have other pen drives and do those work as usual on your PC?

What about this 8GB pen drive? Does it function properly on another PC?

Now reverting back to your MicroSD card, I didn't answer your thanks-giving post , merely because that answer is not going to help you in any way.

If everything was OK except that it was write-protected ( due to other reasons being not the end-of-life syndrome) your card should atleast be readable. I had clearly indicated that that there seems to be a lot of already corrupted files and that is why Windows was trembling and tumbling. If PhotoRec could recover only about 10 or so files, that is it. All other files were so corrupt that even PhotoRec would not recover. There is only one other recovery program that I know of, that works with zero assumption and that is ZAR - Zero Assumption Recovery, Data Recovery Software, Solutions, Tutorials, Forum - ZAR Data Recovery but only digital pictures recovery in it is free. Even if you buy the full licence, I doubt it could have recovered more than what PhotoRec did. Then you would curse me. That's why I kept quiet.

Who has said the microsd card in that earlier thread is/was write-protected!? Me? In which post no?
Why you introduce me a tool that hasn't any relationship with this thread? You could introduce it in that thread. If you don't know what's my problem in this thread, read it from beginning this way you can find the answers of your last questions.

 

[Britton30]

Kurdman FF says your connection isn't secure? Check your options/settings, etc.

 

[Franky]

There isn't any switch on it. I can take photo from any side of it and post them.

 

[Franky]

My connection (ADSL) is as like before. Options are as like before and fine. Nothing is unusual except for that website.

 

[jumanji]

Hi Kurdman,

I again repeat my questions

Do you have other pen drives and do those work as usual on your PC?

What about this 8GB pen drive? Does it function properly on another PC?

Will you care to give straight answers?

I have been watching this thread from post #1 and I haven't found any answers . If you had given please quote the post and cut and paste the answers.

Again whether you said it or not, whether you know it or not, your MicroSD card was write-protected to start with or got write-protected.

And you have been consistently refusing to give any relevant details or history about your pen drive. Just saying a flash drive. If you had bought the pendrive couldn't you have said that it is a Slicon Power 8GB pen drive. And Slartybart was digging all Silicon Power Hard drives. And now Golden and Britton are digging the website.

We have to infer from Speccy shot that it is a Silicon Power Device.The whole thing now appears to be fishy.

As richnrocknrockville surmised these may be proprietory devices. I am only sorry to have helped you in your previous thread. I shall now be content watching this thread . Goodbye from me.

Goodbye.

 

[Slartybart]

Interesting.... it's possible that your locale (Iran) might be causing the certificate issue - not sure about that though.

The site is fine though as I and other members do not get the warning. Is your OS up to date (Windows Update)? There are certificate DB updates offered every so often.

What happens if you go to the main page of Silicon-Power?
SP / Silicon Power-High quality, Exclusive and Unique Leading memory storage brand

Hmmmm.... so I tried what I suggested and I got the cert warning. Following "more info" on the warning page, it suggested adding www. to the address. I did and the warning was not presented. I looked at your screen shot and saw that the address already had www. on it.

In any case I believe the stick is software write protected and the only way to get around that is to use the Silicon-Power software - either already installed on your sysyem (somewhere in your start menu... SP Guard?) or by using their recovery tool.

USB Flash Drive Recovery
USB Flash Drive Recovery is an advanced recovery tool specifically developed for Silicon Power USB flash drive. If your flash drive is not working properly, in most cases it can be repaired instantly.

*Pease make sure the network connection status before to run the program.
*This software is designed to repair malfunctioning USB flash drives. It will not recover any data/pictures stored on the device. All data on your drive will be permanently erased during the repair process. Please backup the contents of your drive before proceeding.

Moreover, USB Flash Drive Recovery can disable the password on Win 7 for all Silicon Power USB flash drives. If you ever set the password for USB flash drive on Win 7, it might cause unrecognizable problem when you use the flash drive on different platform other than Win 7 OS. This tool can help you to disable the password and solve the problem directly.

.....
The website has security issues (below image).
I don't want a recovery tool. I'm searching for a way to format my USB flash and I appreciate your responses.

There are also firmware updates here: https://www.silicon-power.com/support/su_dlc_list.php?type=drivers&drivers=phd&currlang=utf8

At this juncture, your choices are slim.
Find the SP software on your machine, run it to disable the protection
--OR---
Go to the mfgr site and download their utility
-> ignoring the cert warning
--OR--
find a general utility that can override the Silicon-Power protection.

 

[Britton30]

A new USB drive would cost only a few dollars. Throw the write protected one in the trash.

 

[Slartybart]

Yeah, that was my mistake - I was working another issue and confused a HD with a Flash drive.

..... And Slartybart was digging all Silicon Power Hard drives.

I'm out of ideas if Kurdman can't / won't go to the Slicon-Power website. I'm thinkng Britton30 is on the right track - since it's not data recovery.

 

[Slartybart]

That would be "cost only a few Rials"

A new USB drive would cost only a few dollars. Throw the write protected one in the trash.

 

[Franky]

That would be "cost only a few Rials"

A new USB drive would cost only a few dollars. Throw the write protected one in the trash.

HHHHHHHH,. Thank you, you know the monetary unit of Iran.
The problem is not the cost. I'm so confused about this problem.
Anyway, The link SP / Silicon Power-High quality, Exclusive and Unique Leading memory storage brand works on my browser.

 

[Britton30]

As Rich said here this could be a USB drive which was produced for publicity and is locked. It may be a catalog of a company's products, or a brochure of some kind. Where did it come from?

 

[jumanji]

I am herewith addressing all those who were and are participating in this thread and not the OP.

The OP here has been deliberately suppressing the facts and taking everyone here for a ride.

From the way he has answered my query or evaded a staraight answer all along, it is now very certain that this pen drive is a propreitary pen drive manufactured by Silicon Power . Some of their clients include AMD,Yamaha, Weblink, Lattice, Eaton etc.,

Instead of saying "I have such and such a pen drive which is write-protected and I want to repurpose it now and use it, he made it appear as a general consumer device making a fool of everyone here. And then he had the audacity to say that had I read through the thread I would have found the answers to my questions

"Do you have other pen drives and do those work as usual on your PC?

What about this 8GB pen drive? Does it function properly on another PC?"

Look at the reply he gave me.

Hmmm... I had many many months back dealt with another OP who had said "I have such and such a pen drive supplied to me by a software vendor and having copied the software to my PC and also having installed it, I now want to repurpose the drive and use it." While I don't exactly remember what transpired further (I do not remember what happened four days ago, leave alone months ago) what I do remember is that he found that the software vendor himself had given the antidote for that and he reclaimed the drive. Not all the propreitors are so magnanimous. But there is an elaborate process involved in finding the flash controller used in the drive and reflashing it with an appropriate firmware often with lots of modifications. While there are a certain group of adventurists who take it up as a challenge and do it, it is not normally possible for ordinary users.

In this case the OP had camouflaged everything and taken us one and all for a ride and does not deserve to be helped any further. I request the mods to close and lock this thread.

 

[Britton30]

Seems like way too trouble for a $5 device.

 

[jumanji]

Exactly. And that is the advice I would have given had the OP been straight. Find out from the proprietor whether he provides the necessary firmware to reflash and reclaim the drive and if not forget about it. And this thread wouldn't have gone into 54 posts wasting so many people's brains and time.

 

[carwiz]

Ah, come on. I think we all learned something.

I didn't read through all 50-something posts but did the OP try to take ownership of the flash drive?

From Elevated Command Prompt: takeown /f <drive-letter>: /r /d y

Example: takeown /f J: /r /d y

 

[Layback Bear]

From my post #18.

Have I missed something.
How did this device get wright protected in the first place?
Is this device also copy right protected?
Has this device been encrypted?

Seem to me this device was not intended to be copied, accessed or formated using legal means. Somebody (owner) wanted it that way.

I would suggest that this applies here.

Windows 7 Help Forums - Forum Rules

6) No discussions of hacking someones system, network, password, etc.

 

[Franky]

As Rich said here this could be a USB drive which was produced for publicity and is locked. It may be a catalog of a company's products, or a brochure of some kind. Where did it come from?

No, I have bought that flash which was like any other ordinary flashes here (my locale) and I have formatted, read from and write on it many times before.
What is in my mind is I think the only solution that works on that flash is a hardware method.

 

[Franky]

I am herewith addressing all those who were and are participating in this thread and not the OP.

The OP here has been deliberately suppressing the facts and taking everyone here for a ride.

From the way he has answered my query or evaded a staraight answer all along, it is now very certain that this pen drive is a propreitary pen drive manufactured by Silicon Power . Some of their clients include AMD,Yamaha, Weblink, Lattice, Eaton etc.,

Instead of saying "I have such and such a pen drive which is write-protected and I want to repurpose it now and use it, he made it appear as a general consumer device making a fool of everyone here. And then he had the audacity to say that had I read through the thread I would have found the answers to my questions

"Do you have other pen drives and do those work as usual on your PC?

What about this 8GB pen drive? Does it function properly on another PC?"

Look at the reply he gave me.

Hmmm... I had many many months back dealt with another OP who had said "I have such and such a pen drive supplied to me by a software vendor and having copied the software to my PC and also having installed it, I now want to repurpose the drive and use it." While I don't exactly remember what transpired further (I do not remember what happened four days ago, leave alone months ago) what I do remember is that he found that the software vendor himself had given the antidote for that and he reclaimed the drive. Not all the propreitors are so magnanimous. But there is an elaborate process involved in finding the flash controller used in the drive and reflashing it with an appropriate firmware often with lots of modifications. While there are a certain group of adventurists who take it up as a challenge and do it, it is not normally possible for ordinary users.

In this case the OP had camouflaged everything and taken us one and all for a ride and does not deserve to be helped any further. I request the mods to close and lock this thread.

Don't insult. It's your choice to participate in a thread or not.

 

[Franky]

Ah, come on. I think we all learned something.

I didn't read through all 50-something posts but did the OP try to take ownership of the flash drive?

From Elevated Command Prompt: takeown /f <drive-letter>: /r /d y

Example: takeown /f J: /r /d y

thank you. But it didn't work.

 

[Franky]

From my post #18.

Have I missed something.
How did this device get wright protected in the first place?
Is this device also copy right protected?
Has this device been encrypted?

Seem to me this device was not intended to be copied, accessed or formated using legal means. Somebody (owner) wanted it that way.

I would suggest that this applies here.

Windows 7 Help Forums - Forum Rules

6) No discussions of hacking someones system, network, password, etc.

It is a very very ordinary flash to be used for reading, writing, formatting and any other works like any other purchased flashes. I paid money for it. But it is damaged. when It was running on a video device I brought it out without safe removing it. I think it damaged the flash.