Repair Corrupt Video Files on Windows & Mac| Repair MP4, MOV, AVI Files

Summary:

 It is annoying to see your favorite videos not playing in any video players or displaying errors constantly while playing. This could be due to some underlying issue or video file corruption. When videos get corrupt, it becomes unreadable and unplayable. With the help of methods explained in the article, you can repair video files in almost all video file formats.

Table of contents

Why do video files get corrupted?
How to Repair Corrupt or Damaged Video Files? (MOV, MP4, AVI)
Easiest Way to Repair Video Files- SFWare Video Repair Tool
Tips to avoid video corruption
FAQ

Why do video files get corrupted?

Video files can get corrupted due to multiple reasons. Here are a few reasons why your videos files get corrupted-

    1. A video file can corrupt while encoding or transferring a video via networks.
    2. Corruption in storage media could lead to video file corruption on the drive.
    3. Bad sectors on the hard drive are one of the common reasons that make your video files corrupt.
    4. Viruses or malware can damage the videos, resulting in the damaged codec, broken headers, and indexes.

When videos get corrupt, videos start to get choppy. When videos get lagging and stutter, you won’t be able to play them continuously.

How to Repair Corrupt or Damaged Video Files? (MOV, MP4, AVI, other formats)

Several methods can help you repair video files. Here are a few simple yet effective techniques to help you repair video files without hassle.

Use VLC Media player to fix video files (Windows & Mac)

Using QuickTime Player to repair corrupt or damaged videos (Mac)

Use SFWare Video Repair Tool to Repair Videos

For Windows & Mac Users- Use VLC Media Player to Fix Video Files  

The VLC media player is an open-source media player with a built-in code system that helps you repair basic corruption in any video file format. In addition, the VLC media player contains a unique codec library compatible with all video file formats. Therefore, the VLC media player can work with any file format compatible with the codec it has and repair damaged or corrupted video files without any hassle.
VLC Player to repair videos

Important Note: Ensure you always use a copy of the original video for repair. Avoid working on original video files to evade further corruption during the process.

Steps to repair videos using VLC media player

First, take a copy of your videos (be it any file format other than AVI) convert into AVI or change the file extension to .AVI.

    • Download the VLC media player on your computer. Open the video file in VLC Media Player.
    • From the top menu, go to Tools > Select Preference > Input & Codecs.
    • Select Always Fix from the drop-down next to the Repair AVI file.
    • Click on Save. Now check at the saved location if the video is playing without any problem.

Note: What if your VLC is not playing? How do you fix it? Click here to learn different methods to fix VLC not playing.

Using QuickTime Player to repair corrupt or damaged videos (Mac)

QuickTime is a framework created by Apple that supports playing, streaming, encoding, and transcoding in various video formats. You can repair any corrupt video files on Mac using QuickTime player.

    • Launch QuickTime Player and open the corrupt video file or import the corrupt video file
    • Navigate to Windows tab and click on Show Movie Inspector
    •  Now, you will be able to view the properties of the video file such as Movie FPS, Movie format, pixel information, duration, data rate, size, etc.
    • If the video file is damaged, QuickTime Player will display a black screen error message with its details
    •  You can further search for the specific video error code online and find a way to fix it. Or the best way to repair a video file is to use a third-party video repair tool.SFWare Video Repair Tool is an effective tool that can repair damaged or corrupted videos easily in 3 steps. It can fix videos, errors damaged by a malware infection, a bad sector, or other reasons.

Use SFWare Video Repair Tool to Repair Video

To repair corrupt video files, download and install the professionals recommended SFWare Video Repair Tool on your computer and follow the steps given below-

Free Download for WindowsFree Download for Mac

Step 1: Select MOV/MP4 or AVI Repair from the main screen. Select video files from the screen.
repair videos using SFWare

Step 2: Provide any healthy working video file of the same format and a corrupt file that you want to repair. Click on the Repair button. The tool needs a healthy file to compare and repair the corrupt video file.
click on Repair button

Step 3: After the completion of the repairing process, Preview the repaired video file and Save the file in your desired location.

SFWare repair tool-repairing the corrupt video

Tips to avoid Video corruption

    • First, install an antivirus on your system that avoids any damage causing viruses or malware
    • If your videos are saved on the external drive, carefully insert/eject the external drive to the computer.
    • Always make sure to take a copy of the original file before you work on it
    • Make sure you are downloading or transferring videos using secure channels.

Conclusion:

With all the above methods, you can repair the video file corruption without any issues. However, avoiding videos getting corrupted for specific reasons such as viruses or malware is always recommended. If you face any such situation, you can use the SFWare video repair tool to fix any video errors.

Frequently Asked questions

Can Corrupt Files Be Repaired?

Yes, when a video file is corrupted, it is not the whole video that is corrupted. Instead, it could be a broken header or index, damage in the frame rate, or bad sectors on the drive where videos are stored. Therefore, you can quickly repair the corrupt videos with the proper codec to fix the issue. The easiest way to fix videos is by using an open-source VLC media player app.

Can VLC Fix Damaged Videos?

Yes, VLC media players can quickly fix the videos. The VLC media player has various codec library that is compatible with almost all video formats. However, along with repairing, you can also convert the video format to another video file format. If your VLC player keeps crashing while repairing, click here to fix the issue.

How do I recover a corrupted video?

Corrupt videos can quickly be recovered using any professional recovery software. However, recovering corrupt videos doesn’t make your videos play unless it is repaired. With the SFWare Data recovery tool, you can recover videos from a corrupt SD card drive or hard disk and make them play. However, to play corrupt videos, you must repair videos.

How to Retrieve Data from Hard Disk Drives?

Summary:

Losing data from hard drive can be very big loss considering the dependability of data on computer. Every important document, photos, videos of fun events are saved in the form of memories. If you happen to lose data from hard drive, no need to panic. This article brings 5 different ways for you to retrieve data from hard disk drives. If you are looking for an instant way to recover data from hard drive, without wasting a single second click on the download button bellow and recover files from hard drive.

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What causes data loss from hard drive?

A few reasons that can lead to data loss from hard drive is explained below:

Accidental deletion of files:

There are scenarios when files get deleted accidentally. If you have accidentally deleted files from hard drive, you can always find then on Recycle bin or Trash. However, if you have used Shift + Delete keys to delete files, Recycle Bin recovery or Trash recovery won’t be of help.

Formatting the drive:

Another most common reason for data loss from the hard drive is formatting. While you install new Windows update or format the error causing drive, keeping a backup becomes mandate to avoid data loss situation. However, if you have lost data while formatting the drive, not to worry! With the help of recovery methods given here, you can recover data from formatted hard disk without any hassle.

Corrupt hard drive:

When hard drive becomes corrupt, master boot record or boot configuration data gets damaged causing the PC to not to boot. Corruption in the file system makes files inaccessible and makes drive RAW. Therefore, when hard drive is corrupted, certain methods used to fix the corruption leads to data loss.

System software crash:

When system software crashes, it leads to blue screen of death which makes hard drive inaccessible. The system software freezes or doesn’t respond, in such situations the task manager fails to save any unsaved data and leads to data loss.

Abrupt usage of computer, insufficient power supply or power surge causes too much heat on the hard drive causing hard drive to freeze and becomes inaccessible leading to data loss.

Is it possible to recover hard drive?

Yes absolutely, you can recover hard drive. Be it deleted or formatted or corrupt hard drive you can recover data from it. However, to restore hard drive you need to stop using the drive soon after you realize data is lost. Because, when data is deleted or being lost from the drive, only address to the file or the pointer that holds the information of the file will be removed and the actual files exists on the drive.

With the help of safe and secure professional hard drive recovery software you can recover data from hard disk drives without any hassle. However only logical damage on the hard drive can be fixed and hard drive recovery is performed.

To know whether hard drive can be recovered or not, you need to understand the if the hard has logical issue or physical issue.

Logical damage:

Logical damage on the hard drive can be caused due to file system damage or hard drive corruption. When hard disk is logically damaged, hard drive becomes inaccessible and unbootable. This kind of errors can be repaired. Once the corrupt hard drive is repaired, you can use any recovery methods to retrieve data from corrupt hard drive.

Physical damage:

Hard drive issues caused by any physical damage stops the hard drive from working. Hard drive damage such as torn heads, problem in fan, scratches on platter or any damaged caused to the mechanical parts leads to physical damage. These kinds of damage cannot be fixed manually.

5 Easy Ways to Recover Files from Hard Drive

Here a few proven manual methods to retrieve files from hard drive-

Recycle Bin Recovery
Windows inbuilt recovery feature
Recover using File history or backup recovery
Recover from OneDrive
Professional way to recover data hard disk drive

Recycle Bin Recovery

When files are deleted accidentally or deleted using just Delete key, you can recover deleted files from Recycle Bin.

Note: If you have deled files using SHIFT + Delete keys or permanently deleted files from the computer, the deleted files surpass Recycle Bin.

Recover deleted files from Recycle Bin

    1. To recover files from Recycle Bin, go to Recycle Bin on desktop
    2. Navigate to the files in the list, select the files you want to restore
    3. Right click on the file and Restore

Windows inbuilt recovery feature (WinRE)

Windows Recovery Environment is the inbuilt feature in the Windows computer to recover deleted files from the hard drive.

Steps to recover files from hard disk:

Restart your PC by pressing the Shift key while you select the Power button> Restart in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Your PC will restart in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) environment.
Windows Recovery Environment - Troubleshoot

From the options select Troubleshoot, two option System Restore and Recovery are displayed. If options are not available, this is because your PC is not booting up from the drive.  To fix the issue, check your PC manufacturer’s website for information on how to change your PC’s boot order.

Trouble shoot >> select Advanced Options >> System Restore. This will help you restore your system to the restore point when you had enabled the system restore point.

Recover data using File History or Backup Recovery

Another easy way to recover files from hard drive is from Previous version or File History:

Note: You can recover files from File history only if you have enabled the restore point. If you have not enabled the restore point, this method will not help you in recovering hard drive.

Steps to recover files from restore point: Select the Start button >> go to Settings  >> Update & Security  > Back up .
Update & Security

Go to the backup using File History, select the recent restore point to recover files when restore point is creates.
Recover files using File History

Recover data from OneDrive

To recover from OneDrive, follow the steps given below:

Select the Start button >> go to Settings >> Update & Security > Back up.
Recover data from Backup

Go to the backup using OneDrive, to recover files from OneDrive, you need to sign in to the drive. Once you are signed in, you can access files from OneDrive.

Recover files from OneDrive

If none of the above methods helped you in recovering hard drive, this may be due to corruption on the drive. In such situation to recover data from corrupt hard drive, you need a professional data recovery software that scans drive’s each sector to search for the lost files from hard drive.

SFWare hard drive recovery tool is one of the most recommended tools by professionals to recover data from hard disks. The tool is designed in a way that it scans each sector on the drive to perform hard drive recovery without any hassle.

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Professional way to recover data hard disk drive

Download and install SFWare Data recovery software on your computer and launch the application. Follow the instruction to start the recovery process.

recover data from hard drive

To recover deleted or lost files from hard drive, from the main screen Select Recover Files >> Deleted File Recovery or Lost File Recovery. Based on the scenario from which you need to recover data from hard drive choose the option.

recover deleted or lost files from hard drive

To recover data from corrupt or formatted hard drive, select Recover Drives from the main screen and based on the scenario choose either Drive/Partitions Recovery or Formatted Recovery
Recover data from hard drive

Select the hard disk drive from which you want to recover data from and click on Next

scan the hard drive

Software initiates the scanning. Once the scan is completed, all the recoverable files will be listed on window screen.

Recoverable files from hard drive

Select the files you want to recover form hard disk drive and save them on different location on the drive. with the help of SFWare, you can also recover data from dead hard drive.

Conclusion:

Here we end our discussion on recovering data from hard drive. where we have explained in detail about 4 DIY solution including recovering files from Recycle Bin, Restoring Files from OneDrive, restoring older versions of the drive using File History and Previous Versions option.

However, if those methods didn’t work out for you, you can make use of SFWare hard drive recovery software.

Frequently Asked Question

How can I recover my hard drive for free?

You can recover hard drive data for free using simple manual methods such as Recycle Bin recovery, Previous version. Previous version helps you recover files from hard drive using a restore point created before data loss. Windows Recovery Environment allows you perform system restore.

How to recover data from crashed hard disk?

If a hard drive crashed or dead due to physical damage, hard drive may never work again. However, if the hard drive is corrupt logically, data can be recovered using data recovery software.

Download SFWare hard drive recovery software on your computer and launch the application. Select Recover drives from the main option. Select corrupt drive recovery and follow the instructions. To recover data from the hard drive. If you are looking for ways to recover data from external hard drive, connect your drive to the computer and follow the instructions given.

Can a shredded hard drive be recovered?

Data can never be recovered from the shredded hard drive. The shredded hard drive refers to the pieces from hundreds of drives placed together and recycled.

3 Ways to Recover Files from External Hard Drive

Summary:

Losing files from an external hard drive can be expensive leading to loss of important files. If you are looking to recover data from an external hard drive, this article is right for you. Looking for a quick way out? Try SFWare Data Recovery Software to safely recover data from external hard drives. 

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Table of contents

Reasons behind data loss from external HDD
Scenarios where external hard drive recovery is important
Is it possible to recover data from external hard drive?
How to recover data from an external hard drive?
How to recover deleted, Lost files from External HDD
How to recover data from unrecognized External hard drive? (undetected)
How to recover files from External corrupt or damaged HDD?
Frequently Asked Question

Reasons behind data loss from external HDD

A few common reasons that cause data loss from external hard drive are:

One of the most common reasons is accidental deletion of files from the external HDD. If files are accidentally deleted, you can always find them in Windows Recycle Bin or Trash in Mac computers.

Reformatting the drive to another file system erases all the data from the external drive. If you are trying to reformat the drive, make sure you have the backup of data and proceed with formatting or reformatting the drive.

Bad sectors on the hard drive makes drive’s sector unreadable therefore the files become inaccessible.

Virus/ malware attack on the drive, corrupted the drive and infects the file existing on the drive. Therefore, make sure to use antivirus software before using the device.

Abrupt handling of device (external hard drive), power failure, sudden power surge can damage the external hard drive and cause data loss.

Indications of external hard drive failure

When the drive starts showing certain indications, external hard drive recovery becomes important. Here are some of the scenarios listed below:

External Drive not detected: External hard drive won’t be recognised by your PC. In such situations, you won’t be able to know if the drive is in working condition or not. You can try some of the fixes to repair the external hard drive.

Drive Corruption: Data becomes inaccessible when the drive gets corrupt. In such a situation, all you need to do is recover your data from a corrupt external drive and repair the drive.

External drive detected but no files on it: This could be a result of severe corruption. If you come across such situation, it is recommended to recover data from external hard drive and fix the issue.

Is it possible to recover data from external hard drive?

Yes, it is possible to recover data from external hard drive. However, it is important to not use your hard drive until external hard drive recovery is performed. When data is lost or deleted from the hard drive, only the address that holds the information about file is deleted and the actual file still exists on the drive. If new data is written to the drive, the chance of over writing increases and external hard drive recovery becomes tough and tedious.

With the help of the safe and secure data recovery tool, you can recover deleted or lost files from external drive. SFWare Data recovery software is one of the most recommended software to recover data from external drive. Be it formatted or corrupt drive, the software scans the drive’s sector to recover all the files.

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How to recover data from External hard drive?

If your data is deleted or lost from the external hard drive, here are some of the free methods that can help you recover deleted or lost files from external hard drive.

Recover files from external hard drive using CHKDSK

Recover files from external drive using file history

Recover Files from External hard drive using CHKDSK

To recover files using CHKDSK, connect your external hard drive to your computer.

Type command prompt in the search box >> Run as administrator click OK.

Type the following command in the CMD window and hit enter:

ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D F:*.*

Or First input drive letter F:

ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D :*.*

CHKDSK to recover lost files in external drives

Replace E with your external hard disk drive letter
-h removes the hidden attribute. Therefore, the items will show up in Explorer.
-r removes the read-only attribute.
-s removes the system attribute. This also allows items to show up in Explorer
/s makes the command look in all subfolders recursively to recover files

Recover files from external hard drive using Previous Version

Previous Version or File History is a Windows inbuilt feature to recover files deleted or lost from the drive. Previous Version allows you to find the files that were existing when File History is enabled.

Note: To recover files from Previous Version you need to enable the File History (Restore Point). If file history is not enabled, you will not be able to recover files using Backup and Restore in previous versions of Windows.

Microsoft's File Recovery app to recover files on Windows 11

Steps to restore a Previous Version using Windows file history:

    1. Go to the folder where your files were stored before deletion.
    2. Right-click inside the folder and select Properties.
    3. Open the Previous Versions tab.
    4. Select which recent dated previous version you want to recover.

As mentioned above, the previous version was not enabled. This method will no help you recover files from external drives. In such a situation, all you need is a professional data recovery software to recover deleted files from the external hard drive.

Recover data from External Hard Drive using SFWare

Download and install the SFWare Hard drive recovery tool on your computer and connect your external drive to your PC.

recover data from external hard drive

Step 1: From the main screen, select Recover Files. Next, based on the scenario, choose Deleted file recovery or Lost file recovery
Deleted or Lost file recovery

Step 2: Click on the drive from which you need to recover deleted or lost files. Now, scanning process begins. After the completion of scanning, all the recoverable files are listed.
select the drive to recover files from

Step 3: Preview the selected files for recovery. If you are satisfied with the results Save them on your computer.

Recoverable files available on drive

 

What to do when your drive is corrupted or formatted? When the drive becomes unreadable data will no longer be accessed. To access data from an external drive, you need to repair a corrupt drive and recover data from it.

The best way to fix a corrupt external drive is to format the drive. Do not worry! with the help of SFWare Data recovery software, you can recover files formatted from the external drive as well.

How to recover files from corrupt External HDDs?

To recover data from external drives, download and install the application on your Windows or Mac systems. Connect the external hard drive to your computer and launch SFWare External Hard Drive Recovery tool.

recover data from external hard drive

Step 1: Click on the Recover Drive/Partition from the main screen -> Drive/ Partition Recovery or formatted Recovery based the scenario of data loss.

Recover corrupt or formatted drive

Step 2: Check the disk with suitable file system and select the file types you want to recover form corrupted external hard drive. The software scans for the files to recover.
select the drive to recover data from

Step 3: Once the scanning completes, recovered files are listed. Select the files and click on next.
Recoverable files available on drive

Once the files are recovered, save the them in the desired location.

Now, what if your external drive is not detected or recognized by the computer. There will be scenarios while your external drive is detected for not being accessible or blinking but not detected. In such a situation, you need to fix the external drive and recover data.

How to recover data from unrecognized External hard drive? 

External drives won’t be detected by the computer when the hard drive is not compatible with your motherboard. In such situations, the external hard drive is not being detected or recognized by the computer.

You can click on he below link to try some of the fixes to repair the external hard drive not detected problem-

External drive not recognized on Mac

External drive not recognized on Windows

External drive blinking but not detected

Conclusion

This article will surely help you recover data from external hard drives. However, data loss from external drive is inevitable. To avoid any data loss situations further, make sure you always keep a backup of your external hard drive data. If you have not taken any backup, do not worry! you can always rely on SFWare data recovery software to recover data from external hard drive.

Frequently Asked Question

Can an external hard drive be recovered?

Yes, you can recover the external hard drive using the Previous Version. If you have not enabled the Backup restore point, this method won’t help you. In such a situation, you can recover using a professional hard drive recovery tool.

What do I do if my external hard drive is not showing up?

When External hard drive is not showing up on your PC, try to connect your external drive to another PC and verify if the drive is working or not. Check the external hard drive in Disk Management. If the drive is unavailable in Disk Management, it is recommended to recover the external drive and repair it.  

How do I recover files from my external hard drive that won’t read?

Download and install SFWare Data recovery software. Connect your external hard drive and launch the software.

    • Click on Recover Drives from the main screen and follow the instructions.
    • Select the external drive you want to recover.
    • Once the scan is completed, all the recoverable files will be listed.
    • Select the files and save them on different location on the drive

3 Simple Ways to Fix the Error Disk is Write Protected

Summary:

If your USB or SD card cannot be accessed and displaying the error Disk is write protected, here are the simple and best troubleshooting methods to remove write protection on USB/SD card without any hassle.

Table of Contents

What is the reason that the disk is write-protected?
How to Remove Write Protection from USB drive?
How to Recover files from USB drive displaying Write-protected?
Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Disk Write Protected?

You may have encountered USB drives or SD card displaying Disk is write protected error when you are trying to access the files stored on it or while trying to transfer files from storage drive to computer. Although the drive is not manually set to disk protection, there are other probabilities where your disk can show write-protected and stop you from accessing the drive (access is denied).

    1.   A physical switch on SD card might be set to Read Only
    2.   If the disk is full, it automatically displays write protection error
    3.   If you try over-writing on a read only file, you are likely to receive disk is write protected message on the storage drive
    4.  There are some administrator security settings that probably stops you accessing the drive used by the public and displays the error if the drive is write protected.
    5.  Lastly broken or corrupt USB drive can lead to the error if the disk is write protected.

How to Remove Write Protection from USB Drives on Windows?

Below mentioned are the 7 easy methods to fix Disk is write protected error in USB drives. With the help of these methods you will be able to remove write protection from USB/ SD card drives without any hassle.

    1.   Unlock Physical switch on USB Flash Drive
    2.   Run Antivirus to scan for viruses
    3.   Verify USB Flash Drive/SD Card is not full
    4.   Change Read-only Status on drive
    5.   Run Diskpart to Clear Write Protection
    6.   Edit the Registry
    7.   Format the Drive (USB/SD card)

Method 1: Unlock Physical switch on USB Flash Drive

Most external drives including USBs, SD cards have a physical switch on the storage devices to lock or unlock the device that prevents you from writing anything on the drive.

However, you can easily unlock the device by moving the switch to the opposite direction. Once the device is unlocked, you can try transferring or copying files again on to the USB drive.

Method 2: Run Antivirus to Scan for Viruses

USB drives or any other storage devices are prone to viruses in various ways. The files in this storage device could also be infected with viruses that can cause damage to the file system and lead to the Shortcut files error and disk is write-protected error.

You can connect your USB or SD card to your computer and run anti-virus software on your computer to scan for viruses and remove them from drives.

Method 3: Verify USB Flash Drive/SD Card is not full

It is very likely to receive the write protection error when files are being accessed on a USB drive or SD card that says full . To check if your drive is full, all you must do is, right click on the Properties, you can view the size of the used space and free space of the USB or any storage device.

If you have enough space on the drive to copy the file and still you encounter the error, this might be due to the problem in the file you are trying to transfer or copy to the drive. Delete unnecessary files or folders from USB drives. Verify if the disk is write-protected error appears or not.

Method 4: Change the Read-only Status on the Drive

On multiple scenarios to avoid any damage to the file, the file will be set to read only status. Therefore, whenever you try to edit or access the file other than read only, the error Disk is write-protected appears and prevents you from editing it.

To change the Read Only status and to fix write-protection on files in USB drives, SD cards, pen drives follow the steps given below:

    1.   Click on the drive, Right click on the file you want change the access, Select Properties
    2.   Three options on the bottom of the screen are visible. Now, please ensure that the Read-only option is unchecked.
    3.   Finally, click on Apply and see if the change is effective or not by editing or writing on the file.

Method 5: Use Diskpart to Clear Write Protection

Command prompt is one of the inbuilt utilities in Windows that can help you fix any file system logical errors using command line interpreters. Here, a command Diskpart that is a built-in disk partition tool in windows computer is used to fix the disk that is write protected.

To run Diskpart and fix write-protected disk, follow the steps given below:

    1.       Press Win + R keys together and to open Run and type CMD to open command prompt. Or type command prompt in the search box. Run as Administrator
    2.   Type diskpart command >> Enter to run diskpart.
    3.   Type the below commands

list disk (the command lists all available disks on your computer)

select disk n (n is the number of disk representing your USB flash drive or SD card)

attributes disk clear readonly (this command helps you disable write protection)                       

After performing these commands, try transferring or copying files again to the USB drives.

Method 6: Edit the Registry on USB

If the problem still exists after trying all the above-mentioned methods, you try fixing it by enabling the USB write.reg file.

    1.   Click Win+R >> type regedit to open Registry Editor.
    2.   Then navigate to the following location to find a key named WriteProtect

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

    1.   When the key is found, right click and select Modify to change the value from 1 to 0.

If you still encounter the disk with a write-protected message, it is suggested to format the USB drive that is write protected.

Method 7: Format the Drive Displaying Disk is Write protected

Formatting the drive can fix any corruption or damage in the file system. Therefore, Formatting the drive helps fixing any error caused by corruption write protection on disk. Sometimes, Windows fails to format the USB drive using regular methods, therefore, it is the best choice to format the USB drive using Diskpart.

Note: However, formatting helps you fix the error but also erases all the data from the drive. If you the drive has any important file and documents it is recommended to recover your data from USB drives before heading to format the drive.

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Format the Drive using Diskpart command

    1.   Type cmd to the search box >> right-click it to choose Run as administrator to open Command Prompt.
    2.   In the new window,

type diskpart >> press Enter

Type list volume >> press Enter (the command helps to display all volumes available on drive)

Type select volume n (n represents the volume number of your SD card, USB flash drive or other devices)

Type format fs=ntfs label=”new volume” quick (this command helps to format your file system format to NTFS file system)

Exit

As mentioned above this method erases all the data from the drive. However, you can still recover data from the formatted USB drive using the best trusted USB recovery tool.

How to Recover Files from USB Drive Displaying Write Protected?

SFWare USB recovery tool is the most recommended tool to recover data from corrupt or formatted USB drives/ SD cards. However, you can make use of the tool after you remove write-protection from the USB drive. After removing write protection, the software with its fast and quick scanning algorithm retries lost data without from the USB drive any hassle. Download the software now for free and try it yourself..

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Steps to recover data from formatted drive

    1.   Connect your USB drives/ SD cards to the computer and launch the SFWare USB recovery application. From the main screen select Recover Drive/Partition, from next screen choose Drive/Partition Recovery. Now the software starts to display all the drives and partitions available on the computerSFWare Data Recovery software main page
    1.   In the next window, select the USB drive that was write protected and formatted.
      Select USB drive
    1.   The software initiates to scan the drive. The software scans each and every sector in the USB drive to search for the files that can be recovered. Once the scanning process completes, all the recoverable files are displayed in the list.
      List of recoverable files
    1.   Form the list select the files you need to recover from the formatted USB drive and click on Next

Lastly, select the location to save all the recovered files from the USB. Make sure you save the files in a different location to avoid the overwriting of the files on the same drive.

Conclusion

The USB error Disk is write-protected is the most common error that can be encountered when you have important files saved on the drive. However, it becomes chaotic when you need to access the data from the drive. With all the above-mentioned methods explained in the article, you will be able to fix the error easily and access files, edit/modify it without any problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my USB say write-protected when I format it?

Your USB displays USB is write protected in various scenarios. However, write-protection will not enable you to format the drive or allow any modification of the drive until write-protection is removed.

How do you fix the disk is write-protected USB error?

You can fix the write-protection error using several methods explained here.

    1.   Unlock Physical switch on USB Flash Drive
    2.   Run Antivirus to scan for viruses
    3.   Verify USB Flash Drive/SD Card is not full
    4.   Change Read-only Status on drive
    5.   Run Diskpart to Clear Write Protection
    6.   Edit the Registry
    7.   Format the Drive (USB/SD card)

How do I unlock a USB drive?

If you are wondering how to unlock the USB drive switch, all you must do is find the physical switch on the USB drive and need to toggle it to the opposite direction to unlock your USB Drive. If you do not have any physical switch on the storage devices, you might be encountering a write protection error due to other possible reasons like virus, corruption, etc.

Fix Error Checking Drive Scanning and Repairing Drive Stuck (C Drive, USB, External Drives)

Summary:

Windows automatically suggest to run Scan and Repair to fix any kind of corruption in USBs or external drives when the drive is connected . What if disk checking process itself stuck? How to fix error checking scanning and repairing drive is stuck? With the help of various troubleshooting steps given in the article, you can easily fix the issue on hard drives (C drive) and externals drives (USB).

Quick Navigation

What is Error Checking Scan and Repair?

What Makes Error Checking Scan and Repair To Get Stuck?

How to Fix the Error Check Scan and Repair Stuck?

Fix the Error Checking Scanning and Repairing Stuck in Windows C Drive

Fix the Error Checking Scanning and Repairing USB Drive Stuck

Frequently Asked Questions

About Error Checking Scan and Repair

Scan and repair function is a disk checking process that comes under Windows Automatic Repair which is also known as start-up repair. Generally, when you start your laptop or PC, Automatic Repair runs automatically to fix any issues with booting. Similarly, whenever any external drive or USB with bad sectors or virus are inserted, your Windows asks to scan and repair it.

Error check Scanning and Repairing can get stuck, when you are trying to repair USB drives, hard drives, or any other external drives. Windows displays an error message There’s a problem with this drive. Scan the drive now and fix it. If the Scanning and repairing drive process gets stuck, it means that Windows cannot read the drive. However, Drive corruption can be due to several reasons but, what makes the Error checking Tool to stop working or stuck during the repair process?

What Causes Error Checking Scan and Repair to Get Stuck?

The problem is usually encountered when you abruptly shut down the PC due to power failure or force shutdown. Sometimes the issue may occur if you shutdown your PC after long time (when you restart the PC after shutting down it irregularly by keeping it in sleep mode for long days).

There are some other reasons that leads to the Error Checking Scan and Repairing drive stuck. Most common reasons are bad sectors on external drives, virus/ malware, incorrect driver configuration and severe damage to the file system can lead to the error.

How to Fix Error Checking USB Drive Scanning and Repairing Stuck Issue?

When Scanning and Repairing Drive C or D (USB) Stuck at 0%, 10%, 11%…100%, below given are the simple troubleshooting methods that help you fix the scanning and repairing drive stuck issue.

Wait for a While:

Be it on Windows C drive or D(USB), if Error checking scan and repair taking too much to scan doesn’t mean it is stuck. Minor issues on drive can be fixed in less time by scan and repair. If there are major issues on drive, scanning and repairing drive may take longer than expected time, sometimes it may take hours to complete the process.  At times, you can find some of your  files deleted from Scan Fix. Therefore, make sure you keep a backup of your important files and data.

Let us see various methods to fix Scan and Repair stuck based on the type of the drive you are encountering the issue with.

Based on the Drive

Solutions

 

Fix Error Checking USB Drive Scanning and Repairing Stuck – For Hard Drives

1.       Check a Disk Connection

2.       Stop Windows from Scanning and Repairing the Drive

3.       Disable Automatic Repair

4.       Enter Safe Mode and Run CHKDSK

 

 

Fix Error Checking USB Drive Scanning and Repairing Stuck – For USBs/External drives

 

1.       Check the Drive Connection

2.       Run CHKDSK Scan in the Safe Mode

3.       Windows Error Checking Tool

4.       Disable the Check Drive on Booting

5.       Fix issue using Windows PowerShell

 

Fix Error Checking USB Drive Scanning and Repairing Stuck – For Hard Drives 

Check Disk Connection

If you have moved your PC recently this may cause displacement of computer disks. Hence, leads to improper working of Scanning and repairing drive and stuck might be the connection issues between the disk and the computer. In such cases, verify the cable and port to make sure the disks have been connected to the PC properly.

Stop Windows from Scanning and Repairing the Drive

You can easily stop Scanning and repairing process in Automatic Repair. With this, you can easily bypass Scanning and repair by pressing any key.

Step 1: As you are stuck at Scanning and repairing drive, shut down the computer using power button.

Step 2: Now, again Start the computer and you will see the Preparing Automatic Repair screen >> Diagnosing your PC

Step 3: Here, before the disk checking starts, press any key such as the spacebar or others to disable the disk checking.

Disable Automatic Repair

To avoid problems like Scanning and repairing being stuck you can easily disable Automatic Repair. To perform these steps, you will need to enter in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) or the Windows installation media. However, Windows installation media will not be available to everyone, follow the steps to disable automatic repair in WinRE.

Step 1. Shut down computer. Press power button for 10 seconds.

Step 2. Once again start the computer. Once you see that Windows has started, hold down the power button for 10s again and turn off the device. Repeat this until you see computer in WinRE.

Step 3. Once you see, Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >>Command Prompt

Step 4. Enter bcdedit and remember the values for identifier and recoveryenabled under Windows Boot Loader, Mostly, it’s {current} and Yes.

Step 5. To disable Automatic Repair, enter bcdedit /set {current} recoveryenabled no.

{current} indicates the current OS and change the value yes to no will abort Automatic Repair.

Now, Restart the computer without Automatic repair enabling Scan and Repair drive function.

Enter in Safe Mode and Check the drive

Usually, Scanning and repairing drive gets stuck due to disk errors like bad sectors and file system errors. You can choose to enter Safe Mode and run CHKDSK to fix the errors, this will make scan and repair work effectively without being stuck. Also, Safe Mode starts the computer with only required services and drivers.

Step 1. Hold down the power button for 10s to shut down the computer. Repeat this until you see computer in WinRE.

Step 2. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >> Startup Settings >> Restart.

Step 3. After system restarts, a list of options appears. Select 5 or press F5 to enable Safe Mode with Networking.

Step 4. Go to This PC, right-click the drive (C or USB drive) that Windows is stuck at scanning and repairing, then choose Properties.

Step 5. Go to the Tools tab >> choose Check.

Fix Error Checking USB Drive Scanning and Repairing Stuck – For USBs/External drives

When you are trying to fix any error on USB and external drives, it becomes important to keep your data safe. Before heading to the solutions to fix corrupt USB drive, it is recommended to recover your data from the trouble causing USB.

When the USB drive is not detected or recognized, the best solution is to make use of a third party tool and recover files from USB drive.

SFWare USB recovery tool is the most recommended tool to recover data unreadable or unrecognized USB. The software not only helps you recover data but also scan the drive for any bad sectors and recover files without any hassle. With its unique design and advanced data recovery algorithms it can efficiently recover inaccessible data from the USB drive.

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Check the Drive connection

Any incorrect or improper connection of USB could lead to the problem Scanning and Repairing drive being stuck. Therefore, ensure the USB drive connection is secure before heading into any troubleshooting steps given below. In few cases, you might even encounter USB not recognized error as well.

You can try re-inserting the USB or unplug all the externally connected drives and restart your PC to check if the problem still exists.

Run CHKDSK in Safe Mode

Running a CHKDSK scan is one of the quickest and easiest ways to check the computer drive for system file errors. Therefore, this would reduce Scanning and repairing drive getting stuck in the process.

Step 1. Hold down the power button for 10s to shut down the computer. Repeat this until you see computer in WinRE.

Step 2. On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot >> Advanced options >> Startup Settings >> Restart.

Step 3. After system restarts, a list of options appears. Select 5 or press F5 to enable Safe Mode.

Step 4. Now, go to Windows start and type cmd in the search box. Command Prompt >> select Run as administrator.

Step 5. Once command window appears, type the chkdsk command & hit Enter.

Step 6. if any errors appear on the drive, type chkdsk/scan & hit Enter.

This will scan the drive and fix if there is a problem with this drive.

Note: If you see …queued for offline repair, it means the drive severely corrupt and PC needs to reboot and need Automatic Repair for scanning and repairing the problematic drive.

Step 7. Next, type the command chkdsk /spotfix and tap the Y key when prompted.

Now, restart your system and wait until the scanning and repairing USB drive process gets completed.

Use Windows Error checking Tool to fix error checking USB drive scanning and repairing stuck

Windows Error-checking tool checks and automatically fixes the issues that can lead to scanning and repairing stuck problem.

Step 1: Click on the File Explorer >> This PC >> expand Devices & drives.

Step 2: Right click on the USB drive causing scanning and repairing to be stuck and choose Properties. Click on the Tools tab >> under Error Checking >> click the Check button.

Step 3: if you USB drive has any error, you’ll be asked to repair a drive.

Disable the Check Drive on Booting and fix scanning and repair USB drive stuck

If you find that there is no issue in your USB drive & still the scanning & repairing stuck error is appearing, then you should try modifying a registry & disabling the CHKDSK on booting.

Step 1: Enter into Safe Mode (follow the steps given in above solutions) >> press the Windows+ R keys together to launch the Run dialog & type regedit, and click OK.

Step 2: Tap Yes when asked for permission to make changes.

Step 3: Go to a Session Manager >> BootExecute in the right column.

Step 4: on the next window, change a Value data to the autocheckautochk /k:C * & hit OK to confirm the changes.

Now, finally exit the Safe Mode & restart your PC to verify whether the issue of scanning & repairing the drive stuck is solved or not.

Fix error checking USB drive scanning and repairing stuck using Windows PowerShell

In this method we use PowerShell to run a Repair-Volume-DriveLetter command to scan and fix the drive errors that might lead to Error Checking Scanning and repairing stuck.

Step 1: Enter you PC into Safe Mode as mentioned in the above solutions

Step 2: Type Powershell on the search box >> Run as Administrator.

Step 3: Now, on the opened panel, type the repair-volume -driveletter x command & hit Enter

Finally, restart your computer and check for the error scanning repairing USB drive stuck

Conclusion:

Error Checking Scanning and Repairing drive stuck is not an uncommon error. The usually occurs when the drive is severely corrupt and unable to scan the drive. With the help of above-mentioned methods, you can easily fix the issue and fix the errors in hard drive and external drives like USB, SD cards as well.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long does it take to scan and repair a USB drive?

The process of Scan and Repair, repairing a drive varies from drive to drive. If the computer is scanning and repairing a hard drive, it may exceed more than expected hours to complete. If the computer is scanning and repairing a USB, the process depends on bad sectors and corruption on USB file system. And it may get stuck around 11% or 20% or abruptly completes 100%.

How do I fix scanning and repairing C drive stuck at 100 %?

The easiest way to fix scanning and repairing C drive stuck at 100% is to stop Windows from Scanning and Repairing the Drive. Perform the hard shutdown by holding the power button for 5 to 10 seconds and when Windows restart press any key to cancel the scan and repair process.

Does scanning and repairing drive delete files?

Scan and Fix process only scans the drive and repair if any file system error, bad sectors and logical errors are encountered. The whole process doesn’t delete any of the files from the drive. However, if the drive is severely damaged or corrupt, there might be the changes of files getting deleted from the drive. To keep your data safe, is always recommended to keep a backup of your files or make use of any data recovery software.

Is it safe to scan and fix hard drive?

Yes, it is absolutely safe to use Scan and repair function to fix errors in the drives. The process works on both hard drives and external drives like USB, SD card etc.  with the hep of Scan and Repair, you can easily fix any bad sectors on the drive and minor file system damage on the drive.

 

How to Fix the Issue Access Is Denied for USB or Pen Drive in Windows?

Summary:

Is your Windows displaying Access Denied when you insert USB on your computer? This could be the result of an improper connection or USB corruption. With the help of simple and effective methods explained in the article, you will be able to fix the error access is denied for USB in jiffy.

USB access denied errorAccess Denied is an error that occurs when Windows is unable to access the contents of a USB and this can be due to various reasons.

Why is USB Access Denied?

It is not uncommon to encounter a pen drive or USB flash drive is not an access denied issue in Windows 11/10/8/7. There are many reasons that leads to the USB error, most common factors are listed below:

    • When USB or pen drive is removed inappropriately, it may corrupt the system files running in the background and cause trouble when you insert again.
    • When access to the USB drive is restricted using write protection or read only mode, you will not be able to access the USB drive until you remove the write protection
    • If USB’s file system is damaged or corrupt, USB doesn’t allow access to the content in the drive.
    • The USB is conflicting with any third-party applications, this can stop you from accessing the drive until the issue is sorted. 

All the above-mentioned reasons make your USB inaccessible. Now, let’s see the solutions to fix the error Access is denied for USB.

Note: There are few methods explained in the next session that may cause data loss from the USB, if your data is important and cannot risk to lose, it is recommended to recover data from the inaccessible USB and follow the method to fix Access is denied error.

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Quick Navigation:

  1. Recover data from the USB displaying Access is denied error
  2. Fix USB Access is Denied Error using various approaches

7 Solutions to Fix USB Access is Denied in Windows PC

Try all the methods one after the other to fix the error USB access is denied in Windows 11/10/8 or any other versions.

Method 1: Try Accessing the USB Drive

If your USB device is protected and everyone’s access is disabled for use, here is how to access the device:

    1.   Press Windows + E Keys to open file explorer. Click on the inaccessible USB device.
    2.   Right-click the USB device and select Properties >> Security >> Advanced >> Edit
    3.   Search for your name under the Group or user names section and click on it.
    4.   Enable all the boxes in the Allow column >> press Apply
    5.   complete the process by clicking OK to gain permission to access the USB device.

Method 2: Manage Advanced Security Settings for USB

If the error access is denied is due to an issue in Windows register, you can try the following steps to fix it.

run regedit to fix access is denied for USB

    1.    Open Run by pressing Windows + R keys and type regedit.exe and navigate to the below mentioned path

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ENUM\USB

    1.   Now, right click the USB folder and select Permissions. Make sure the Read column is checked.
    2.   Go to the Advanced tab >> select Include inheritable permissions from this object’s parentInherit the permission to allow access to USB
    3.   Now, go to the Owner tab and check the box Replace owner on sub containers and objects >> Apply and OK

Once the process is complete, try to connect your USB to check if the error message USB access denied exists or not.

Method 3: Change Drive Letter with Disk Management

It is important to know that changing the path of a device changes the device letter assigned to USB dynamically. Therefore, changing drive letters with disk management helps in reconfiguring the change and helps in fixing the error USB access denied if it is due to change in the USB device path.

Run Disk management to fix USB access denied

    1.   Open Disk Management using the Run dialogue by pressing the Windows + R keys together and type diskmgmt.msc >> Enter or OK.
      OR Right-click on the start button and select disk management.
    2.   Navigate to the USB device displaying the error access is denied, right-click on the USB drive partition at the bottom of the Disk Management window.Change drive letter in disk management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Choose Change Drive Letter and Path… from the listed options.

 4. In the next window that your OS will prompt, chose Change…. >> Select the new drive letter >> OK

After the completion of the process verify if you still encounter the error Access is denied for USB on Windows.

Method 4: Edit Local Group Policy for USB

Sometimes access to USB connectivity may be denied by the Local Group Policy Editor restriction on the device. Follow the steps to fix the USB error using simple steps:

    1. Type gpedit.msc in a search bar >> click on the Edit group policy option displayed on your screen.
    2.  When your Control panel Local Group Policy Editor will be loaded, select Administrative Templates >> now expand the System folder.
    3. Inside the expanded System folder >> open the Removable Storage Access folder.Local group policy editor to fix USB error access is denied 
    4.  This final step includes three processes:  open all the options mentioned one after the other and tick the option Disable to remove restrictions from the device.
      1.       Removable Disks: Deny execute access,
      2.       Removable Disks: Deny read access
      3.       Removable Disks: Deny write access.

Method 5. Use Error Checking Tool

If error USB access is denied is caused due to file system error in Windows 11/10/8, error checking tool will help you fix the error.

    1. Open File Explorer or This PC, go to the access denied USB. Right-click on the USB drive and select Properties
    2. Go to the Tools option. under the Error checking section, click Check.
    3. Click on Repair Drive.

This will help you fix the issues with the device that is causing trouble to access the USB drive.

Method 6. Run CHKDSK To Fix USB Error Access Is Denied

If the error is caused due to file system errors, you can always rely on CHKDSK, an inbuilt utility in Windows that helps to fix logical errors.

Run chkdsk to fix the error

  1.       Open command prompt, by typing cmd in search bar >> Run as administrator
  2.       Type the command: chkdsk H: /f press Enter (Replace H with your USB drive letter)

Method 7: Format the USB Drive to Fix the Access is Denied Error

If the system file of a USB device is corrupted or damaged, the easiest way to fix any USB error is to format the drive.  Formatting the drive not only fixes errors but also helps you fix any damage in the file system.

  1.       Connect your USB to the Windows computer, open File Explorer. Right-click on the USB drive, select Format option
  2.       In the Format device window, you will be displayed Quick format or complete format

(Make sure you understand the difference between Quick and Complete Format before formatting the USB drive)

  1.       When the Warning… message pops up, click OK. Warning message displays that formatting will erase all the data from the device. Once the format process is done, you will receive a Format Complete message >> press OK

After the format process is completed, close the USB window and eject the USB drive to remove the USB.

How to Recover Data from the USB displaying Access is Denied Error?

Follow the steps to recover data from the inaccessible USB. Download and install SFWare USB data recovery software, connect the USB to the computer where software is installed. Launch the application.

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Steps to recover data from inaccessible USB

    1.  From the main screen select Recover Drive/Partition, from next screen choose, Drive/Partition Recovery, by selecting this option, software starts to display all the drives and partitions available on the computer

      SFWare Data Recovery software main page

    2.  From the next window, select the USB drive from the listed drives, from which you need to recover your important data and click on Next

      Select the USB access denied drive

    3.  The software initiates to scan the drive. The software scans each and every sector in the USB drive for all the recoverable files. Once the scanning process completes, all the recoverable files are displayed in the list. 

      recoverable files to recover from USB

    4.  Choose the files you need to recover from the inaccessible USB drive and click on Next 

    5.  From the next window, select the location to save all the recovered files from the USB. Make sure you save the files in a different location to avoid the overwriting of the files from the drive.

Not only USB drives, with SFWare Data Recovery software, you can easily recover data from any external devices such as SD card, external hard drive, pen drive, etc.

Conclusion:

With all the 7 methods mentioned above, you will be able to fix the error Access is Denied on Windows 11/10 other versions. To keep your USB safe from viruses and other kinds of malware that makes your USB susceptible for errors like access is denied, USB drive not recognized etc, run antivirus on a regular basis. Keep backup of your data to avoid any data loss situations. If you ever encounter data loss scenarios, you can always rely on SFWare data recovery software.

4 Simple Ways to Recover Files from Corrupt USB Flash Drive

Summary:

Were you unable to access any data on your USB? The reason behind this is, if your drive is corrupted or damaged, you will be unable to access any data saved on it. The only way to open your important files on corrupt USB is to perform USB drive recovery. With the help of various methods explained in the article, you will be able to access and recover your files without any hassle.

When a drive becomes corrupt, it becomes unresponsive and data stored on the drive cannot be accessed. This could either be due to physical damage on the drive or logical issues. Losing your important files due to USB corruption could be devastating. Let us know the causes that lead to USB corruption.

What causes USB corruption?

If you are wondering how a USB can become corrupt, here are a few common reasons that lead to USB drive corruption.

    1.   Removing USB before ejecting it could lead to USB corruption. When the OS runs read/write actions in the background, improper removal of USB can lead to file system corruption. Therefore, it is always suggested to eject the flash drive before disconnecting it.
    2.   Sudden power loss can cause damage to the drive as all the active operations performed on the drive will be abruptly stopped.
    3.   Too much exposure to harsh conditions such as excess temperature or exposure to water can damage USB physically.
    4.   USB flash drives use NAND flash memory chips to store larger set data in a limited storage space. However, multiple read/write operations limit the functions of NAND in the long run and can make USB susceptible to corruption.
    5.   Using USBs on various devices without running anti-virus can corrupt USB flash drives and create shortcut files on pen drives. Therefore, it is always recommended to run anti-virus software to keep your USB free from Virus or malware.

Indications or Signs of USB Corruption

Below listed are few errors that are encountered when USB becomes corrupt:

    •         USB device not recognized:  When OS fails to read the USB file system, it displays the error device not recognized.
    •         Problem ejecting USB mass storage device: The error is encountered when there are programs running in the background even after ejecting the USB.
    •         Disk is not formatted Error: Usually appears when data cannot be read by OS and trying to access RAW drive.
    •         Error copying files and folders: The error is caused due to various reasons like corruption in the file, file size limitation and virus intrusion.
    •         Error 0x80071AC3 volume is dirty: The error appears when there are bad sectors on the drive or due to damaged/corrupt USB ports.
    •         The file or directory is corrupt and unreadable: The error is mainly due to corruption in FAT or MFT partitions [ File allocation table, Master file table] on USBs.

Sometimes, not only errors, the drive also shows used space but no files on it.  When you encounter any of the above-mentioned errors, it’s likely that your USB is corrupted and you need to repair the corrupt USB. However, repairing the drive would lead to data loss from the USB. Therefore, t is suggested to recover data from USB and then repair the drive.

Is it possible to recover files from a corrupt USB flash drive?

Yes, it is possible to recover files from a corrupt USB drive. All you have to do is, stop using the drive immediately and perform USB data recovery.

Accuracy of recovering data from USB is generally based on the type of corruption. 

    • Data from physically damaged USB cannot be retrieved as it damaged the drive completely.
    • You can recover files from USB when the drive is logically corrupted.

      Methods to recover data from corrupt USB
      1. Assign a drive letter
      2. Update the USB drivers
      3. View hidden files using CMD
      4. Recover Files from corrupt Drive using SFWare USB Data Recovery Software

Therefore, if your drive has no external damage, you can go ahead with recovering files from the logically corrupt USB drive explained in the next session.

First three methods help you clear certain errors caused by corruption on USB but don’t assure complete recovery of your data. In such a situation, all you need is a trusted data recovery software that is proficient with unique algorithms to recover data from a corrupt USB drive. SFWare USB data recovery software is one of the most trusted and secure software to recover corrupt USB without causing any damage to your important files.

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4 Ways to Recover Corrupt USB Drive

As mentioned above, if your drive is logically corrupt and displaying errors, these methods will certainly help you access your data from corrupt USB.

Methods 1: Assign the Drive Letter

If you thumb drive is not assigned properly or assigned with an incorrect drive letter, you end up receiving USB errors and cannot access data on it.

    1.  First, right-click Start button -> Click on the Disk ManagementDisk Management to fix corrupt USB
    2. Right-click on your corrupted USB drive -> Select Change Drive Letter and Paths…
      Disk management to recover corrupt USB
    3. Now, click on the drive letter -> Change button. Select a different letter from the drop-down list and Click OK.Disk management- change drive letter
      Once the process is completed, try to access your USB using Windows explorer and see if you are able to access the files from USB.

Method 2: Update the USB Device Drivers

Sometimes, when drivers are not updated, you might end up encountering errors like USB not recognized. Reinstalling or updating would solve the issue.

    1. Right-click the Start icon and click on Device ManagerDevice manager to recover corrupt USB
    2. Click on Disk drives, right-click your USB, and click Uninstall device.Device Manager-update disk drivers

Once you complete the steps, remove your USB then plug it again, this automates the latest drivers to be downloaded and installed automatically.

Methods 3: View hidden files using CMD

If your files are hidden due to viruses or any bad sectors on USB, this will help you fix the bad sectors and enable you to view the hidden files.

    1.   Type CMD on search bar >> Run as Administrator
    2.   Type the following commands on the command prompt window and Replace D with your USB Drive letter

      a. To Check bad sectors: type chkdsk D: /f /r and press EnterCHKDSK to corrupt USB recoveryb. To unhide the files: type attrib -h -r -s /s /d D:*.* and press EnterCHKDSK to unhide files in USB

Make sure, your USB is not write protected, if the USB is write protected, you will not be able to access the drive via CHKDSK as well.

Method 4: An Absolute Way to Recover Files from Corrupt USB Drive

To recover files from corrupt USB all you need is, download and install the USB data recovery software on your computer. Connect your USB drive to the computer and launch the application.

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    1.   Select Recover Drive/Partition options from the main screen, click on Drive/Partition Recovery option.Recover data from corrupt USB
    2.   Select your corrupt USB drive from the listed disks option and click nextSelect corrupt USB drive to recover files
    3.   The algorithm initiates the scan process as soon you select your drive. Once the scanning completes, you will be able to see the recoverable files from the drive.
      Recover files from corrupt USB drive

Select the files you want to recover from the corrupt USB drive and click next. Preview the files and Save them in a desired location. Make sure you save them in a different location as saving the files on the original location might damage the existing files on the drive.

 

Conclusion

Data loss due to corruption is inevitable. With the help of above-mentioned recovery methods, you will be able to recover data from a corrupt USB drive without any hassle. A few methods will help you access the data from the drive but cannot assure complete recovery. In such a situation, you can rely on SFWare data recovery software to retrieve corrupt USB. Also, it is recommended to always keep backup of your important data to avoid any data loss conditions. 

 

What to Do When USB or Pen drive Disk is Write Protected and Cannot Format?

Summary:

Can’t format the USB drive as it is write-protected? Do not worry! Here is a simple guide that describes how to format write protected USB Flash Drives. We all know, with formatting, data loss is inevitable. If you are facing any data loss from USB, you are just 3 steps away from recovering them.

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You may have encountered the error disk is write protected, due to which you cannot format the USB drive. Wondering what this write protected do? Or why is the drive write-protected? Then scroll down below!

What does write-protection on USB mean?

When a USB drive is write protected, you won’t be able to create new files, edit, delete files or format the drives as it will be on read only mode.  Write protection on USB flash drives/ pen drives are used mainly to stop accidental data loss from the device. The function also helps you block viruses that could damage the files on the drive and make sure that data is not accidentally overwritten or deleted.

If you are facing trouble and cannot format the write protected USB, follow the methods described in the next section.

Simple Ways to Format Write Protected USB on Windows 11/10/8

To format the write protected USB, try the simple yet effective solutions explained below. Once the USB is formatted you can perform any functions like creating a new file or edit files saved on the drive.

    1.  Check the physical switch or slider on the USB to remove write protection
    2.  Format write-protected USB drive using Diskpart Command Prompt
    3. Use Registry Edit to format the write protected USB drive

However, once you format the write protected USB drive, all the data present on the drive is deleted. Therefore, make sure you have a back up or recover data from the USB drive before formatting the drive.

Method 1: Unlock the write protection switch on USB

Most USB flash drives come with a physical switch on one of the sides. Verify if there is a lock on the USB and just slide the switch in the opposite direction to unlock the write protection on the pen drive.

What if you have no physical switch on USB? Wondering how to format the write protected USB? Try the next methods to fix the problem: cannot format the write protected USB drive.

Method 2: Use Diskpart command to format the write protected USB

Diskpart is a command line used to clear all write-protection file attributions from the USB and helps you reformat it again.

Note: Make sure you don’t have any important files on the drive as formatting the drive causes data loss.

    1. Press Windows + R to open Run >> type diskpart >> Enter. Now, Diskpart command prompt utility is launched.diskpart command prompt to format write protected USB
    2. Input (type) the following below command and hit Enter after each command.
      • list disk
      • select disk n (Here n refers to the number of your USB drive from the above listed drives.)
      • attributes disk clear readonlyDiskpart commands to remove write protection on USB

By running these commands, your USB attributes will be set to write new content and clear read only mode. Verify if you can format the files from the write protected pen drive now.

Method 3: Use Registry Edit to format the write protected USB drive

Registry edit is the utility that helps you alter the keys to change the attribute of the USB drive.

Note: Make sure you use the right commands. Any wrong steps might risk your USB and cause serious issues. If you lose any data during the process, you can easily recover data from the formatted USB  with the help of an effective SFWare data recovery tool.

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  1. Press Windows + R Key to open Run command or type: Regedit.exe in the search box >> click on run as administrator to open the Registry editor.regedit.exe to remove write protection from USB
  2. Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
  3. In the right-hand pane of Regedit.exe., double-click on the WriteProtect value. Make sure the volume data field is marked as “0
  4. Open it by double clicking on it and changing the Value data from “1” to “0” and click “OK” to save the change.Change value from 1 to 0

Now close Regedit and restart your computer and verify if you format your write protected pen drive. You will see that the write protection is removed and the device is no longer write-protected.

Conclusion:

With the help of the above mentioned methods you can easily format the write protected USB drives. As you know, formatting the drive will cost your data as well. Therefore, it is always recommended to have a backup of your files. If you have formatted your important files and folders without any backup, do not worry! You can always rely on SFWare data recovery software to recover data from formatted USB flash drives.

 

How to Stop Windows from Restarting Randomly?

Summary:

If you are looking for ways to fix frequent restarting of Windows computers, you are on the right track. This article guides you to fix random restart of Windows using various easy approaches. If you have lost any data due to this computer randomly rebooting issue, do not worry, you can just hit on the download button and recover your lost files in just 3 simple steps.

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What Makes Windows Computer to Restart Frequently?

If Windows restarts randomly without any warning this can be due to any of the following reasons-

  1.   Software Errors: Generally, computer reboots or restarts due to software conflicts when you have installed new software or driver on your system.  

Fix: If the PC starts to restarts randomly after the installation of the software, you need to uninstall the recently installed software and perform the system restore of an old date.

  1.   Hardware Errors: PCs or laptops, they are designed in a way to restart and shut down when the process heat exceeds the certain limit. Also, the dust particles in the systems cabinet could also create the problem.

Fix:  

    1.     Make sure you keep your laptop/PCs off when not in use or make use of sleep mode to avoid overheating of your processor.
    2.     Always clean the system cabinet to make your PC free from dust particles.
    3.     Test power supply and check the possible loose connection of the hard disk, DVD drive from the motherboard and reconnect to avoid any glitch.
  1.   Computer virus: Some computer viruses are capable of restarting your computer without any warnings.  Viruses such as the blaster virus are designed to reboot your computer without warning.

Fix: Make use of Anti-Virus software regularly

If you are done verifying the causes and still the problem persists, follow the methods given in the next section to fix the computer restarts randomly without warning.

Can Frequent Rebooting or Restarting of Windows Damage PC?

If you are wondering if frequent restart or often rebooting of computers damage PCs, the answer would be Yes. Unplanned restarts can lead to data loss and even long-term damage to your PC components, so make sure you perform periodic backups. If you have no backups, you can always rely on a safe and secure thirst party recovery too

You can make use of SFWare Data Recovery Software that helps you recover data from various data loss scenarios. One software can help you recover data from all the versions of Windows including the latest Windows 11 and other older versions.

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How do I Fix the Random Restarting of Windows Computer?

Try the following methods one after the other and verify if the rebooting of computer is stopped. If computer keeps restarting or rebooting, follow the next given methods to fix frequent rebooting.

Change Advanced Power Settings

Disable automatically restart feature

Reinstall your graphic card driver

Change your power plan to High performance

Update BIOS

Test your RAM for errors

Reset your system to factory settings without losing data

 Recover Lost data from your computer

Method 1: Change Advanced Power Settings

If you are having random restarts on Windows, you might want to try changing the power settings to fix it.

Power and Sleep setting to avoid random restart of computer

    1.    Go to Windows search and type power >>Choose Power & sleep settings
    2.   Now click on Additional power settings on your right panel
    3.    Find your plan and click on Change plan settings
    4.   Now click on Change advanced power settings and locate Processor Power Management
      Computer restarts randomly
    5.   You should see the Minimum Processor State value that is set to 100%.
    6.   Change Minimum Processor State to some other value, such as 0 >> Save the changes.

Method 2: Disable automatically restart feature

In order to protect the system from corruption or any logical errors, automatic restart option shuts down the system. If there’s a bug with the latest update and your system is behaving normally with disabling of random restarts, you can try disabling the option and verify if that clears the problem.
stop rebooting or restarting of computer

    1.    In the Windows Search bar, type Advanced settings >> choose View advanced system settings from the list >> Open Advanced
    2.   Open Settings under Startup and Recovery section.
    3.   Disable the Automatically restart box >> Confirm the changes.

Method 3: Reinstall your graphic card driver

Windows automatically installs its drivers. However, if you install graphics card drivers from your graphics card manufacturer, it can sometimes cause conflicts and random restart. To fix this rebooting/restarting issue, you need to install additional drivers after Windows performs its update and installs the necessary drivers first.

Note: If you have already installed your graphics card drivers, you might need to uninstall them and install them again in order to fix this issue by restarting your computer.

    1.   Press Windows Key + X >> choose Device Manager from the list.
    2.   Now, locate your graphics card >> right-click and choose Uninstall device.
    3.   Check Delete the driver software for this device and click Uninstall >> restart your computer.
    4.   Download the latest driver from your graphics card manufacturer’s website and install it.

Method 4: Change your power plan to High performance

If you’re having random restarts on Windows, sometimes the best solution is to change your power plan to High performance.

Note: By changing your mode to high performance. PCs or laptops consume more power. As the Laptop will drain faster, you may have to recharge it often.

    1.   Type power in Windows Search >>Choose Power & sleep settingsPower and Sleep setting to avoid random restart of computer
    2.    Now click on Create power plan
    3.   When Power Options window opens
    4.   When the Power Options window opens, choose High performance

      High performance to avoid frequent restarting of computer

Method 5:  Update BIOS to avoid restarting of computer

Sometimes you can fix random restarts on Windows including Windows 11/10/8 by updating your BIOS. To update your BIOS, you need to visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website and download the latest version of BIOS.

Before you update BIOS, make sure that you check your motherboard’s manual in order to update BIOS properly.

Note: If you’re not careful, you can cause permanent damage to your computer, so be careful if you decide to update your BIOS. If you don’t know how to do it properly, please contact an expert.

Method 6: Test your RAM for errors

The first symptom of something went wrong with your RAM, Windows restarts randomly
Run command to stop often rebooting of computer
1. Press Windows key + R to start Run >> type mdsched.exe >> press Enter.

2. Choose to restart your PC and >> after the initial BIOS screen, the scan should start.

3. Wait for the procedure to end and check if the problem still exists.

Method 7: Reset your system to factory settings without losing data

When the computer restarts randomly, you might be on the verge of losing your important unsaved data. Therefore, make sure you restart your system to factory settings.

    1.   Press Windows key + I to open Settings >> Click on the Update & Security section.
    2.   Choose Recovery from the left panel >> Click Get started under Reset this PC.
    3.   Choose Keep my files and start the recovery process.

Method 8: Recover Lost Data From Computer

If you have lost any data due to frequent rebooting or restarting of computer, SFWare is your best choice. Download and Install SFWare Data Recovery Software on your computer, launch the application.
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    1. Select Recover Files from the main screen to recover any deleted or lost files from your computerSelect Recover files to Recover lost files2. Choose Lost File Recovery and select the drive from which you want to recover files lost due to frequent rebooting of computerSelect lost file recovery3. Select the file type from the list and click on next. If you are not sure of the file type, the software lists all the recoverable files lost from your computer.Select the file types from the list
      Choose the files you want to recover and click on Next. Preview the files, if you are satisfied with the results, save the files on your computer. Make sure you save the files in different location, saving files on the same location may

 

Conclusion:

With all the above-mentioned methods, you should be able to stop your Windows from restarting randomly. Try one method after another and verify if the problem still persists. If the problem still exists, make sure you keep the backup of your important data before it gets late. However, you can make use of SFWare Data Recovery software, if you ever encounter any data loss situations. 

How to Recover Deleted or Lost Files on Windows 11?

Summary:

Accidentally deleted files from Windows 11? Do not worry! This article is a complete guide if you are looking for ways to recover files on Windows 11. For a quick and safe recovery of deleted files on Windows 11, you can make use of the most recommended tool that recover your files in jiffy-SFWare data recovery tool.

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With all focus on security and user interface Windows 11 is the finest Windows version available till date. Despite all the visual upgrades and performance tweaking data loss is still an issue that remains unaddressed. Although Microsoft tried to address the issue by providing free Windows data recovery software, data loss in Windows 11 remains as one of the major concerns for the users.

Let us understand why data loss happens in Windows 11 and try to find better alternative to recover the deleted or lost data.

Why Data Loss happens in Windows 11?

If you are wondering updating to Windows 11 is the reason behind data loss, the answer is no. however, there are other reasons that might cause data loss from Windows 11 which are discussed below:

Interruption while updating:

During upgrading to Windows 11, the computer will be in vulnerable state. Any interruption caused to the process can damage the system files on the drive or drive itself, leading to data loss.

Type of Install you Choose:

While installing Windows 11, you will be asked to choose between Upgrade or Custom. Custom allows you to change the settings and functionality. If you are not aware of the steps to take, it has an ability to wipe the data off from the computer.

Hard drive failure:

Hard drive or SSD, if it is on the verge of failure, it is suggested not to use the drive for updating. If the failing drive is crashed while upgrading to windows 11, this makes the process incomplete resulting in data loss.

Virus intrusion:

No computer is free from virus threat. Virus or malware can cause damage to files and makes your important files inaccessible. Therefore, it is always advised to run antivirus or Windows defender on before inserting any new external devices to your computer.

Others:

Accidental deletion of files, inappropriate partitioning the drive on Windows 11 or using a wrong parameters and attributes in CMD or DISKPART also leads to data loss that you were not intended to delete.

Want to know what happened to files deleted from Windows 11? Is it possible to recover deleted files from Windows 11? Follow the next sections to know how deleted file recovery is made possible on Windows 11.

Where do deleted files go?

When files are deleted or lost from Windows computer, only the entry that registers the address of the file is removed and not the files themselves. Later, the Windows OS marks the space available for the new data to be written. Therefore, with the help of few recovery methods you can restore the deleted files on Windows 11.

How to Recover Deleted Files in Windows 11? 

To recover files and folders deleted in Windows 11, you can make use of recovery methods described below:

How to Recover Deleted Files Using Recycle Bin on Windows 11?

Any files you delete, be it accidental or intentional, the deleted files go to Recycle Bin. Files can be easily recovered from Recycle Bin unless you deleted all the files from Recycle Bin or used Shift + Delete keys to delete files. Using Shift Delete to delete files cause permanent deletion of files from recycle bin becomes impossible.

    1. Go to Desktop and find Recycle Bin icon
    2. Double-click on the icon or right -click on the folder and click on open
    3. Now, navigate to the files you want to recover. Select multiple files to recover, right-click on it and choose Restore.
    4. You will find your files restored in the original location

How to Recover Deleted Files Using the Backup on windows 11?

Windows built-in utility File History helps you back up files and recover files deleted using Shift Delete as well. The feature only works if you have enabled File History option. File History keeps back up of certain system folders like Documents, Music, Pictures and Desktop folders and the OneDrive files if available offline on your computer. If you want back up of other folders, you can add them to any of these folders.

Once you enable File History, over time, you’ll have a complete backup of your files. You can make use of back up files in situations like accidental deletion of important files, when the file is corrupt or damaged, you can restore them from backups.
Restore files deleted from Windows 11 using File History

    • Type File History in the search box on the task bar
    • Select Restore your files with File History

All the files that you backed up appears on the File History window. If there are multiple backup versions, you can select the recent backup to recover files deleted from Windows 11 lately.

Recover files using Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery Application on Windows 11

Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery application is a command line utility that can be used to recover deleted or lost files from the Windows system.

      1. Go to Microsoft Store and type Windows File Recovery. Download and install the application and launch it.
        Microsoft's File Recovery app to recover files on Windows 11
      2. Once the app is installed, right-click on the Windows icon on your taskbar and select Windows Terminal (Admin)/ Windows PowerShell (Admin)
      3. Next, enter the command in the PowerShell window. The command will help you recover the files on drive C to drive D.winfr C: D: /regular /n \Users\<username>\Download\ – Recovers your Downloads folder from your C: drive to the recovery folder on D: drive

    Windows PowerShell to recover files on Windows 11You can replace the file names and destination folder names with the ones you require.

    Once the recovery is completed, go to destination folder and verify if all the files are recovered.

    If you were unable to recover files from any of the above-mentioned recovery methods, all you need is a trusted and effective deleted file recovery tool.

    Recover Deleted File and Folders on Windows 11 using Data Recovery Tool

    With SFWare Data Recovery Software you can recover permanently deleted files from Windows 11.

    The software supports recovery of all types of files such as Word, PowerPoint, excel, video, audio, email data file, system files etc.

    Easily recovers files from corrupt drives without causing any damage to the recovered files

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    Free download SFWare Data Recovery software on your computer and recover deleted files on Windows 11 operating system.

    Step 1: Choose Recover Files option from the main screen to recover deleted files from Windows 11

    Select Recover Files to recover deleted files from Windows 11
    Step 2: Select the drive of deleted files and then click the Next button to continue

    Select internal drive to recover files on Windows 11
    Step 3: After the software completes scanning the drive, the recoverable files are listed on the screen. All you have to do is, select the files you want to recover and click Next

    Scanning the drive to recover files on Windows 11
    Step 4: After the process is completed, you will have the recoverable files ready to save. You can also preview the files before saving it.

    Preview files before savingConclusion

    With all the above-mentioned recovery methods  explained  you will be able to recover files from Windows 11 without any hassle. If you were unable to recover deleted files on Windows 11 using any free methods, you can always rely on SFWare data recovery software which helps you recover files without any hassle.