Create your own Custom USB Flash Drive Logos is a great method to build your brand, make a great impression and leave a lasting positive vibe with your clients.

Branding products isn’t a new concept in today’s marketing world, but Nexcopy has made it a lot more accessible to brand one of the most versatile pieces of technology in the industry. With the new USB7P full color inkjet printer, anyone can bring their designs or images to life on their flash drives. Below is a video illustrating the product with its features and benefits.

For more information about customizing this video for our reseller channel, please contact Nexcopy directly.

Source: Nexcopy Inc.

We recently published an article featuring 60 incredible custom USB flash drive designs that range from miniature cars to footballs and represent industries as diverse as material handling, construction, medical, and environmental services. A custom-shaped USB flash drive is more than just portable storage—it’s a unique, physical representation of your brand

By transforming a company logo or product into a functional USB drive, businesses create a marketing tool that not only stands out but also makes a lasting impression on their target audience. For example, a construction company once commissioned a USB drive molded in the exact shape of one of their heavy-duty excavators. This creative giveaway left potential clients with a practical device that doubled as a memorable conversation starter, reinforcing brand recognition long after the initial meeting

Marketing professionals continue to choose custom logo USB flash drives because they offer a tangible, engaging, and highly effective way to drive home their brand message.

Why is my USB write protected? (Updated for Windows 11 Fixes)

USB write protected means the USB cannot be written to. But why does this happen? There can be several reasons, ranging from a corrupted flash drive to software settings in Windows that lock the device.

Originally posted in 2015, this article is now updated for modern systems, including Windows 10 and Windows 11, which introduce additional security layers that can cause USB write protection issues.

Hardware or Device Failure

It’s easy to damage a USB stick. A common cause is sending multiple write threads to the device at the same time. For example, copying large files while issuing another write command may corrupt the controller, leaving it permanently locked.

Windows Registry and Security Settings

Windows can mark a USB drive as write-protected due to policy settings or errors. Here’s how to remove this restriction on Windows 10 and Windows 11:

• Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
• Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
• If WriteProtect exists, double-click it and set the value to 0. If it doesn’t exist, create a new DWORD (32-bit) entry named WriteProtect and set it to 0.
• Restart your PC and reconnect the USB drive.

Using Diskpart Command (Windows 11)

Windows 11 offers an advanced command-line tool to clear write protection:

diskpart
list disk
select disk #
attributes disk clear readonly
exit

Replace # with your USB drive number.

Windows Security – Ransomware Protection

Windows 11’s Controlled Folder Access can block external writes. Disable or adjust this setting via: Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Ransomware protection.

File System Repair

If the drive is corrupted, run:

chkdsk E: /f

(replace E: with your USB letter). This may fix read/write errors without losing data.

Manufacturer Tools

Brands like SanDisk, Kingston, or Nexcopy provide utilities to reset a locked USB device or reformat at a controller level.

Conclusion

Write protection errors are often recoverable and not always caused by hardware failure. With the new features in Windows 11, additional troubleshooting steps may be required before discarding a drive.

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FAQ

Q: How do I remove USB write protection in Windows 11?
A: Use Registry Editor, Diskpart, or adjust Ransomware Protection settings to allow writes.

Q: Does Windows Defender block USB writes?
A: Yes, in some cases Controlled Folder Access can block external USB writes. Adjust settings to resolve this.

It’s a good question; format a USB flash drive as exFAT or NTFS? There are several reasons not to format as NTFS and we’ll explain.

Most of the Time you are Okay

Most of the time, formatting a flash drive is a very simple decision. There are only two situations where you should carefully consider what format to use. Here are the details:

Note: This article is focused on Windows and Mac operating systems.

The file formats available for a USB flash drive are:

• FAT (also called FAT16)
• FAT32
• exFAT
• NTFS
• HFS (Mac only)

Flash drive manufacturers typically format a drive as either FAT or FAT32. Any device of 2GB or smaller will be formatted as FAT, and any USB over 2GB will be formatted as FAT32.

These two formats are the best file systems for removable drives like USB flash drives because they support quick disconnect functionality. Chances are very slim that you will destroy the device or files if you unplug the USB without using the Eject function (in Windows) or the Un-mount function (in Mac).

The one huge limitation with FAT and FAT32 is the single file size limit. If a single file is larger than 2GB, you need FAT32. If you have a single file bigger than 4GB, you must use NTFS or exFAT. Typically, these large files are video files or restore image files (for restoring a computer operating system from a single image file).

There are two ways on “How to make a USB read only.” One method will make the USB read-only in anything it is connected to, so you could say this is a universal way of making a flash drive write protected.

The other way is a PC-specific solution where some registry edits are required to any computer the USB flash drive is connected to.

When we say 100% permanent, this means the USB stick is read only (write protected) on all devices, whether it be computers like a Mac, Windows PC, Linux box, or non-processor based products like a car stereo. This permanent solution also means the status of the drive cannot be changed. The other method flags a USB device to be read only in relationship to the PC it is connected to so that whenever that USB stick is connected to that computer, it makes the USB read only and blocks all write commands to the device.

Most times an IT manager or content owner wants the USB stick to be read only so the files cannot be deleted or formatted off the drive. Another reason for making a USB read only is for the original files to remain the same and block the ability for files to be changed or manipulated. Finally, it’s smart to have USBs read only so that viruses don’t jump onto the drive and possibly spread to other computers.

Let us start with the less permanent way because it’s easier to do and doesn’t require any specific hardware.

You will need a Windows7 machine or higher. The Windows7 machine will have DiskPart utility which allows us to perform all sorts of cool things to flash drives, like setting write protection.

• Connect the USB to your Windows computer.
• To begin, go to your Windows Start and in the Search Field type cmd

This will run your Command Prompt.

• Next, you will want to get to the C root of the Command Prompt and if you are signed in as a user you can simply type cd\ – this will get you back to the root of the C drive.
• Type DISKPART
• Type LIST DISK

Now you will need to find the USB stick connected to your PC. Most likely it’s DISK 1