Format the USB Drive
Formatting your write-protected USB stick is the solution you need to adopt. However, it will make your USB drive readable and writable. Before formatting the USB drive, determine the type of file system present—NTFS or FAT32. Typically, the existing file system is the most suitable file system for the drive.
- Open Windows Explorer > Browse to This PC > Right-click your USB drive and select Properties.
- Close the Properties window > Continue right clicking the USB drive again, this time selecting Format. The Format window contains several customizable options, such as the aforementioned File system, Allocation unit size, the Volume Label, and Quick Format options.
- Change the Volume label to something easy to remember. Since the machine deals with a potential hardware problem, uncheck the Quick Format box. That forces formatting to do more than just delete files. Typical example: if this USB drive has bad sectors then "full" format will return an error.
The formatting process doesn't take much time, and the larger the drive, the longer you'll have to wait. Assuming there are no physical problems with the drive, your USB drive will be quickly formatted, cleaned, and ready to go.
Note: Before repairing your USB, make sure you back up all files and information from the USB drive to your computer. All data will be lost after you format the USB drive.
