How to Remove the Write Protection on an SD Card From an HP Laptop

The SD card that you use for your camera or MP3 player comes with a security feature called "write protection" that prevents anyone from making changes to the data on the card. While write protection can be useful if other people have access to your card, it is also easy to accidentally turn it on when you didn't mean to. Some virus programs can also change a setting on your HP laptop to automatically enable write protection without your permission. You can use the built-in features of your HP laptop to remove the write protection feature from the SD card.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• SD card reader

1. Check the sides of the SD card to see if it has a physical locking mechanism. Push the plastic locking pin into the "unlocked" position.

2. Insert the SD card into the SD slot of your HP laptop's card reader. Click "Open a folder to view files." Attempt to open or change any of the files on the SD card to see if you are still receiving a write protection error.

3. Right-click one of the files on the SD card and select "Properties." Navigate to the "General" tab.

4. Scroll down to the "Attributes" heading. Un-check the check box labeled "Read Only" and then click apply. Attempt to open or change the file again to see if the write protection error has been resolved.

5. Open the Start menu and click the Search feature. Type "Regedit" and then double-click the registry editor icon.

6. Navigate through the registry editor's folders to the sub-folder named "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies." Right-click the registry key labeled "Write Protect" and choose "Edit."

7. Click inside the "Value" text box. Delete the current value and type "0." Click "OK." Close the registry editor and attempt to open or change one of the SD card's files again.

8. Close the SD card's window. Open the Start menu and click "My Computer." Right-click the drive letter for the SD card and choose "Format." Click "Start."

Tips & Warnings

• If your particular model of HP laptop does not include a built-in SD card reader you can acquire an external card reading unit that plugs into a USB port. External card readers are available at computer parts stores, electronics retailers, and some office supply chains.
• Formatting the SD card is a last resort option you should only use if every other attempt fails. Formatting the card will remove the write protection, but it will also completely erase any files that were saved on the card.

References

• Removing Write Protection From Memory Cards

Resources

• HP Support