On 2017-11-08 at 11:00, Thomas Schmitt wrote: > Hi, > > Kent West wrote: > >> The Yosemite Mac's Disk Utility gives me more info >> "This disk is not writable and can't be partitioned" >> that the Write Status is Read Only, > > It really looks like this info comes from the stick's firmware and is > not fabricated by a software layer of the operating system.
Last time I saw a USB drive insist it was read-only in anything like this fashion, it was indeed because the firmware had been set that way; it was the install medium for some Autodesk software, shipped on branded USB drives just for the additional cachet. I had that drive because I'd been asked to see if I could find a way to make it writable. I did indeed track one down, but it's apparently model-specific, and not super-reliable (in addition to requiring a USB3 port, at least for the models I was looking at); it involves essentially flashing the firmware of the USB drive, using specialized software dedicated for the purpose. I don't know of any software for that purpose that's available for Linux, and the Windows tools I found (which I'd have to dig up again from scratch) were not only closed source but also somewhat model- or at least manufacturer-specific, but if you want to restore this drive to an operational state this may be an avenue worth pursuing. -- The Wanderer The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw
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