How to Remove PNY 16GB Flash Drive Write-Protected?

Sounds familiar? USB flash drive write-protected issue is a widely discussed topic on all kinds of forums. Except 16GB PNY USB stick, you may also find PNY 128 flash drive write-protected error on the Internet, so does to PNY 64GB USB drive, PNY 32GB USB drive and the PNY 4GB USB stick.

Well, what is the cause for a PNY USB write protection in Windows?

Possible causes for PNY flash drive write-protected problem

Besides manually setting, a PNY flash drive becoming write-protected can be a frustrating issue, but fortunately, there are several potential causes and troubleshooting steps you can try. Here's a breakdown of common reasons for write protection on PNY and other brands flash drives:

1. Software-Based Write Protection
The drive itself might have internal software flags or settings that have triggered write protection. This can happen due to many reasons, including errors during previous write operations.

2. File System Errors or Corruption
Errors or corruption within the flash drive's file system (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS) can lead to write protection.

3. Virus or Malware Infection
Some viruses or malware can enable write protection on storage devices to prevent removal or modification.

4. Drive Failure or Damage:
Physical damage or wear and tear can cause the drive to become read-only as a protective measure.

The Write Protection Locker could also be a problem for the error. If yes, switch the Locker to the opposite side. For the rest of the causes, follow the solutions below to see if any of them works.

How to remove write protection on PNY USB flash drive in Windows?

In this part, we'll show you how to remove write protection from a flash drive. Different methods for PNY USB flash drive write-protected errors will be illustrated in the following parts. All the solutions apply to PNY 64GB flash drive write-protected problem as well.

1. Remove PNY write protection by updating firmware

Given that the USB drive is offending, you can download a new USB Firmware Update for PNY flash drive from their official website to disable the write protection. According to PNY Support, they had a “batch” that went through their quality control with “write-protection” enabled. Provided update solves the problem perfectly.

2. Clear ReadOnly attributes in Diskpart

Step 1. Insert the PNY USB flash drive. Press Windows key and R key to start Run. Typediskpart and run as administrator.

Step 2. Input following commands successively and press Enter after each:

• list disk
• select disk n (where n is the disk number of your PNY flash drive)
• attributes disk clear readonly
• exit

Write protection is a layer of protection for data security. Type “attributes disk set readonly” to replace “attributes disk clear readonly” if you need to enable read only and protect the data someday.

3. Remove PNY USB write protection in Registry Editor

Registry Editor is the database for Windows system and installed applications. Any inappropriate operations could lead system or applications unusable. So, make sure you follow this guide strictly.

Step 1. Open Run again and type regedit and run as administrator.

Step 2. Navigate to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Note: if there is no “StorageDevicePolicies” in Registry, you can create a rule manually. Right-click the “Control” folder and choose “New” > “Key”. Name it with “StorageDevicePolices” without quotation marks and open it.

Step 3. Double-click the WriteProtect option and change the “Value data” to 0. If there is no WriteProtect option in the folder, you can manually create one as well.

4. Format PNY flash drive thoroughly

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is a free partition manager that is able to format a write-protected drive. If the PNY USB write-protected problem is caused by virus infection or corrupted file system, it is necessary to format it with a completely new file system.

Tip: if there is any important file on PNY flash drive, it is suggested to back up the write-protected USB drive with USB backup software in advance. You can restore these files after the write protection is removed later.

Step 1. Insert the PNY USB flash drive. Download, install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Step 2. Right-click on the USB partition and select Format Partition.

Step 3. Specify partition with Partition Label, File System and Cluster Size in the popping up window.

Step 4. Click Apply to execute the changes.

Bottom line

The PNY 16GB flash drive write protected problem should be solved with the above solutions. If not, you’d better purchase a new USB flash drive from reliable vendors. The advanced edition of the aforementioned software also supports disk clone, move installed apps, create Windows boot USB... You can upgrade to the Professional edition to experience better PC and disk management services.