Reformatting the disk

A write-protected flash drive is a device that has been locked to prevent any changes or modifications to its contents. To reformat a write-protected flash drive, you will need to remove the write protection before proceeding with the reformatting process. Here are a few steps you can try:

1. Check the flash drive for a physical switch: Some flash drives have a physical switch on the side or bottom that can be used to enable or disable write protection. Check your flash drive for a switch and make sure it is not in the locked position.
2. Use diskpart command: Open the Command Prompt as an administrator and type "diskpart", press enter. Then type "list disk" to list all the disks and find the disk number of the flash drive. Type "select disk x" (x is the disk number of the flash drive), then type "attributes disk clear readonly" to remove write protection.
3. Use Registry Editor: If the above steps didn't work, you can try editing the registry to remove the write protection. Open the Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the Start menu search bar. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies and look for the key WriteProtect. If it exists, set its value to 0.
4. Format the drive: Once the write protection has been removed, you can reformat the flash drive by going to the Windows Disk Management tool or by using the "Format" option in the "Computer" or "This PC" window.

Note: Be aware that reformatting will erase all the data on the flash drive, make sure you have a backup of the important data before proceeding with the reformatting process.

Make sure you have all your data backed up
Also make sure you have your re installation disk and proper cd keys to perform a clean install.

power your unit - press F9 for boot options - insert your 7 disk into cd rom and choose boot from CD-ROM. Follow instructions provided from install disk.

I would suggest making a backup of personal data first. Windows xp has a File And Settings Transfer wizard (FAST) and Windows 7 has a utility called Windows Easy Transfer (WET). These are located under Start/Program Files/Accessories and then System Tools (for Win7). I recommend saving this to a removable/external disk or CD/DVD. I would ALSO copy critical documents to a USB drive just in case. You can never be too careful with your data. Another option is online backup sites like Mozy.

Make sure you have your Windows installation disk and your CD Key (If you bought it from a retailer, there should be a sticker on your PC as required by OEM agreement they have with Microsoft and they should have also provided you with a reinstall disk)

Now, you can insert your Windows installation disk and it will give you a few options for reinstalling. You can either choose to install over the top of your existing windows installation, or you can choose to reformat your drive and then reinstall clean.

Retrieving a forgotten password on a Cruzer Enterprise drive How do I recover the password on my Cruzer Enterprise drive? Password hint
If you set a hint when you enabled the password protection, click Hint in the log in window to display the hint you entered. If you did not set a hint or still can not remember your password, you can click Forgot Password on the logon window and choose a new password. This will reformat the drive.
Reformatting will delete all files and applications in the user-accessible removable partition.


Password attempts
There is a limit of 10 attempts (default) before the drive is locked and no further access is possible. During this process, you MUST change the password and reformat the drive. This is an important security feature, protecting data in lost devices from brute force hacking attempts.
Reformatting will delete all files and applications in the user-accessible removable partition.


Cruzer Enterprise drive managed by CMC (Central Management and Control)
A drive managed by the Cruzer Enterprise CMC software can be unlocked remotely by the System Administrator when it is inserted into an online computer. The System Administrator can unlock the drive remotely even after the maximum failed password attempts has been reached. The user must then choose a new password. Data stored in the removable partition will be preserved.

If the device is managed but in an offline computer, the System Administrator can send the user a one-time unlock code. The user must enter the code then choose a new password. The existing data on the removable partition will be preserved.
hope this helps

Either:
* the existing disk-drive is not connected (power, data) to the motherboard;
* the existing disk-drive is "dead";
* there is no disk-drive at all inside the case;
* the motherboard has been told to "ignore" the device.

So, either:
* connect (power, data) the disk-drive to the motherboard;
* remove the existing "dead" drive, and install a new one;
* buy a new disk-drive, and install it;
* enter the motherboard's "BIOS SETUP" mode,
and use the "auto-detect disk drive" tool to "add" the drive.

sounds like hard disk related. turn it off and disconnect the power cord, remove and reconnect both the power and data cables to the hard disk, disconnect any external USB storage and remove any floppy disk, if any. If you get the same result, try to connect the har disk using different power & data cables (IDE/SATA), and test it on another SATA channel if available. If same error, you may need to reformat the hard disk and reinstall WIndows, or you may have to get a new Hard Disk if it fails even when tried on another computer.

Firstly why should you want to reformat the HDD is not clear to me. Anyway, since you want to do it well read on. Go to Start->Control Panel->Admin Tools->Computer Management->Disk Management. here you will get an option to manage your disks whether fixed or removable. Select Removable and select your external disk. From the right pane select the disk that you want to format and right click on it. If it is formatable (which your disk is) it will give an option og formatting. Select and follow the advice. If it does not show then select properties and there you will be able to format for sure. But remember that unless you format the HDD very many times, one can come to know that the HDD is a used one and can even retrieve the data from it. And if you format it so many times then you are reducing the life of the HDD. So the choice is yours.

upon reinstallation it was deleted and not put back on .you should have partitoned the hard drive with the recovery utility when reinstalled it would have been DATA (D) IN MY COMPUTER If its not there you have lost it.cannot make the recovery disk u need

1. Double-click My Computer on the Windows Desktop or in the Start Menu.
2. Locate the Removable Disk (X:) or Player (X:) icon that is associated
with the player. (X: equals the drive letter assigned to the ILO player.)
3. Right-click the Removable Disk (X:) or Player (X:) icon.
4. Click Format….
Reformatting your ILO player will result in the deletion of all tracks and
settings on the ILO player.
5. If you are sure you want to reformat your player, click Start.