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January 11th, 2016 09:00
Dell XPS 8900 Media Card Reader Write-Protected: How to Unprotect?
I use the media card reader to write mp3 files to a micro-SD card for use in a small mp3 player. Until today, no problem. Now I get a "write-protected" error -- and it is not due to the tab in the SD adapter being in the wrong position.
There was some weirdness a few days ago when the card readers showed up as explicit drives in This PC, but that phenomenon went away when I restarted the computer. I suspect this may relate.
Advice as to how to make those ports unprotected would be appreciated. In the meantime Plan B, using an external card reader in a USB port works.
Also: Running Windows 10 as originally installed on computer.
Phil
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w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 19:00
The denouement: After trying the diskpart approach and failing, I decided to try canned air in the slot for the fourth time (that's what I did the first time the slot wouldn't read, and again later that day).
This time I gave it a really long and deep dose of pressurized air. And voila, it now writes and reads.
Sorry to take up all this space on what turned out to be a non-problem, or should have been.
I have three other computers with media slots, two of them for close to three years, and not a one has displayed this issue -- as occurred in my XPS 8900 after only three weeks of minimal slot usage.
Guess never say never is a good adage.
Phil
w7ox
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January 11th, 2016 13:00
This has become more interesting or puzzling.
I cannot write to or format any SD/SDXC etc. card in the media card reader. I can read from them, but write or format gives me a "write-protected" message. Yet the mechanical switch is in the unlocked position on them all.
So I rooted around and found a Smart Media (SM) card in a very old digicam. I can write to that card!
This suggests something is amiss with the SM/MMC slot in the XPS 8900 card reader. I've tried cleaning it, used different cards, etc. with no change.
I'd assumed it was a software issue. But could that affect only this one slot of the 19:1`media card reader?
Phil
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January 11th, 2016 18:00
insert an SD card and then right-click its icon in Explorer. Go to Properties>Security tab and see if your user account has permission to write to the card.
If not give your account permission (eg, give permission to Everyone), save the change and reboot.
Can you write to the card now?
w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 07:00
Thanks for your reply! I did as you suggested, but I get no Security tab. The tabs I get are:
Under the ReadyBoost tab I get the following message:
"The device is mounted read-only, This usually happens with
write-protected devices/media or when BitLocker group policy
settings prohibit write access to non-encrypted removable
devices,"
For the SM card in a different reader slot I get no such message. So now I need to understand what BitLocker group policy is and how to change it -- if this is an avenue worth pursuing.
But why no Security tab? Windows 10 vs. earlier versions?
Phil
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January 12th, 2016 11:00
Guess my comments were based on Win 7. Using my Win 10 PC, I don't see a Security option either. odd to say the least.
When I right-click my SD card in Explorer (Win 10), I see an option to turn Bitlocker on/off. So have checked to see if it accidentally got turned on for the SD cards?
w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 15:00
Thanks for the folow-up, Ron. I tried that and there is no BitLocker option on any of my drives. I looked elsewhere, in Control Panel, and it appears to be disabled for the system as a whole -- which makes sense since I sure didn't enable it.
It appears that BitLocker is not my issue. Could be a defective SD slot in the media card reader, since at least one other slot is not write-protected. Since for the small amount I use that computer to write to micro-SD cards I can get it done using my external usb card reader, not a big deal -- just annoying to not understand it.
Phil
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January 12th, 2016 16:00
Do you have Win 10 Home or Pro? I have Win 10 Pro (build 1511), and that Bitlocker option is there when the SD card is in the slot and I right-click the drive icon in Explorer.
You could try uninstalling the card reader in Device Manager and reinstalling the driver. Manually set a system restore point first, before uninstalling the reader, just to be safe.
If that doesn't help and assuming your system is under warranty, it's probably time to contact Dell Tech Support for assistance. They could replace the card reader and see if that solves your problem.
Otherwise, you might consider Refreshing Win 10...
w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 17:00
Win 10 Home here.
I tried the uninstall and reinstall approach and no joy: SD cards still read only, SM card is read-write.
I've not contacted Dell. I've not yet registered the system with them because it's still returnable -- but I'd not return it for something as unimportant to me as this (I usually remove media card readers and replace them with something useful, but have not found that something yet for the XPS 8900).
Maybe I'll give them a call and see what happens. I have to stay indoors tomorrow anyway due to a dermo treatment yesterday.
Thanks again, and for the link to the file with the driver!
Phil
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January 12th, 2016 18:00
Read Option #3 here.
w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 18:00
I believe I tried diskpart a couple of days ago. Seemed like nothing happened -- no messages -- and it had no effect. But I'll try it again tomorrow when I'm wider awake.
Phil
w7ox
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January 12th, 2016 18:00
Nope
w7ox
91 Posts
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January 12th, 2016 18:00
Now trying a Restore to an earlier time when I think the SD slot was working normally.
Thinking about it, I doubt it's a hardware problem because of this from my earlier post:
I did as you suggested, but I get no Security tab. The tabs I get are:
Under the ReadyBoost tab I get the following message:
"The device is mounted read-only, This usually happens with
write-protected devices/media or when BitLocker group policy
settings prohibit write access to non-encrypted removable
devices,"
Seems like if a hardware issue the "mounted" message would not occur.
Anyway, maybe Restore will get me back -- until it happens again
Phil
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January 13th, 2016 10:00
Glad you got it sorted.
Guess the mechanism in the slot that detects the write-protect tab on the SD card got stuck in the "protected" position or maybe some LED got dirty.
At least others may benefit from your "misery"... :emotion-5: