Can't access my USB drive?

A few months back, I picked up a 32 GB flash drive, but when I plugged it into my computer yesterday, I got that annoying prompt asking me to format it. So, I tried running the format, only to be met with the message: “macOS was unable to complete the format.”
I’m honestly not quite sure where things went sideways here—does anyone have any idea if there's a way to salvage this thing, or am I just looking at a paperweight?

I tried performing a full format, but I kept getting hit with this error message: "macOS can't format F
Check to see that the disk and drive are connected properly, make sure that the disk is not read-only, and then try again. For more information , search Help for read-only Files and How to Change them."

Alright, so here’s the lowdown on how to handle this, depending on what actually caused the mess.
https://www.easeus.com/partition-mas...ive-error.html

I followed every single step of the instructions to the letter, but I’m still hitting the same wall—it just won't format, no matter what I try.

Maybe the disc is just physically damaged and you might be out of luck...

swifttinker40 said:I followed every single step in the guide to a tee, but I'm still running into the same wall where the drive just won't format.

Do you happen to know who actually makes the drive?

swiftowl7 said:Who actually manufactures the drive?

It looks like someone mentioned a Corsair C906 with 32 GB of capacity.

Your stick has likely flipped into read-only mode. It’s one of those things that happens—I’ve actually had it happen to me once or twice myself, I guess. Your only real shot is to try and force the write attribute back on using some sort of online fix, but if that doesn't work... well, you might just have to toss it in the trash.

QUESTION: Did you ever pull it out "physically" without properly ejecting it through the software first? You know, clicking that little icon in the system tray and selecting "Eject." If you did, there's a good chance you yanked it while it was mid-transfer or maybe while some other app on your PC was still poking at it, and then everything just got... scrambled.

swifttinker40 said:It says "Adobe" C906 / 32 GB

I think following what Aaron Baker7 suggested and hunting for a specific fix is a smart move, because honestly, some manufacturers actually release these specialized utilities for their memory sticks that act as the absolute best way to save them. I haven't really come across anything specific for Adobe before, so I can't point you toward a particular tool here.

I’ve definitely run into my fair share of these read-only drives over the years, and in my experience, the only ones I ever managed to revive were from Seagate. They had this proprietary little utility that would connect online to run some repairs and then just reformat the drive for me 😲

If you can't track down something like that, though... I'm afraid there isn't much hope left for saving the stick.

Review:

Aaron Baker7 said:It’s highly probable your flash drive has flipped into read-only mode. It happens more often than one would care to admit; I’ve certainly dealt with it once or twice myself. Your only real recourse is to attempt to restore the write attribute using some various fixes found online, though if that fails, you might simply have to toss it in the trash.

QUESTION: Did you pull it out "physically" without performing a proper software ejection first (clicking the icon in the taskbar and selecting "Eject")? If you did, there is a significant chance you disconnected it while it was mid-transfer or perhaps while another application was accessing its file system, causing the controller to scramble...

You can generally yank a USB stick out whenever you like without clicking eject, as the internal contacts are shorter than the external power pins, which prevents any electrical surge from causing damage.
Disconnecting external hard drives, however, is an entirely different matter altogether.

Flash drives from subpar manufacturers (Adata is an absolute disaster) frequently lose their integrity or demand a format that ultimately fails. Sometimes they even hallucinate their own capacity—jumping from 16GB to 64GB, for instance—leaving most of the space unreadable. Occasionally, the latest version of Windows 10 can resolve this just by plugging it in and letting the OS attempt a recovery. 😁

I shall scour the internet for a solution and update you if I find something effective that doesn't require you to stay online.

Jerry Robinson56 said:You can pretty much yank USB sticks out whenever you want without clicking "safely remove hardware"—since the internal data pins are shorter than the power pins, you aren't going to short anything out.
But pulling external hard drives? That’s a whole different story.

Well, yeah, I suppose I agree with that—assuming they're idling—but if you pull one while a data transfer is actually happening, you might just brick it. I mean, if you're "forceful" about it, you risk corruption. Then, when you plug it back into your PC, you get that dreaded error message saying the drive is corrupted (or whatever the OS calls it), and you have to run a scan or select that "repair bad sectors" option, and so on... and that's if you're lucky. If luck isn't on your side, it just stays stuck in read-only mode... I've had a few sticks go south exactly like that.

Best, A. 🙂

Aaron Baker7 said:Indeed, I concur regarding the idle state, but when one attempts to force a data transfer, things tend to go sideways. You end up with a drive that the PC flags as corrupted upon the next connection, necessitating a scan or attempting to "fix bad sectors," and so forth. That is assuming you are lucky; otherwise, you are stuck with a read-only device. I have seen several flash drives succumb to this exact fate.

Best, W. 🙂

🙂 I didn't want to seem pedantic about any of those five points; your assessment was quite accurate. We both operate under the assumption that you won't be performing heavy data transfers—a lesson I learned the hard way myself. 😁Forget it.
Then there are the ones with fraudulent capacity; they appear to function perfectly while recording, but once you actually open the folder, it’s a total desert.

In my experience, Adata has proven to be utter garbage, completely untrustworthy for no discernible reason. It is likely some software bug or simply substandard memory chips inside the drive. I certainly recommend sticking with Kingston, Verbatim, or Toshiba. I also possess some peculiar "no-name" drives that require no "logging" whatsoever... you see them instantly the moment you plug them in, and the computer doesn't perform a single extra task. Yet, all operations run flawlessly within a heartbeat.

But there is no need to force the issue; if you can't do it right, just grab a bigger hammer. 🕺 One should, in any case, preserve the drive and plug it in occasionally just to ensure it maintains power, preventing a "self-wipe," though that usually takes years to occur.

Regards, 🙂

Jerry Robinson56 said:🙂 I didn't want to come off as a "know-it-all" or anything—not that I'm trying to be—but you hit the nail on the head... we both basically assume you aren't going to go transferring sensitive data over them (a lesson I learned the hard way... just forget about 😁)
Then there are those fake capacity drives out there; they seem to work fine, recording everything perfectly, until you actually open the folder and find nothing but a digital Sahara desert...

In my experience, A Data turned out to be absolute garbage—the kind of stuff you just can't trust for no particular reason. It's probably some inherent software bug or perhaps just subpar memory chips inside the drive itself. Personally, I’d definitely suggest sticking with Kingston or Verbatim, or even Toshiba. I actually have some strange "no-name" drives that plug in without any sort of "handshake" or login process... you know, the kind where the computer doesn't even acknowledge it's there immediately upon plugging it in... yet, somehow, every single operation works flawlessly in a heartbeat.

But hey, there's no need to force things—if you need more power, just grab a bigger hammer, I suppose. 🕺 One should probably save the drive and plug it in every once in a while just to give it some power, just to prevent any "self-erasing" incidents—though, granted, that might take years to happen.

Cheers 🙂

True, though if you look at me, I've been using A Data for years now—I actually have three different ones with varying capacities—and I haven't run into any massive issues. Once, one of them tried to act like it was read-only, but I managed to salvage it, and it still works perfectly fine today. Their main drawback, if I had to pick one, is that they are maddeningly slow.

Before I switched to A Data, I had this white one—can't remember the brand, honestly—that was just terrible. I think it either went read-only or simply refused to mount properly anymore; I can't quite recall, but it ended up in the trash. Then I had what I believe was a Kingston drive that also went read-only after a while; I tried everything to rescue it and restore the write attribute, but it was a lost cause...

Best regards and all the best! 🙂

I wonder if you might have considered downloading the official tools directly from the manufacturer's website and then attempting to perform a low-level format using those specific utilities?

Kenneth Cruz67 said:Have you tried grabbing the official tools straight from the manufacturer's site and running a low-level format with those?

Exactly. I've actually wiped a few of them using this free little utility

HDDLLF.4.40

It’s not exactly coming from the official manufacturer's website or anything, but honestly, in my experience, it gets the job done perfectly fine.👍

The only time it fails is when the chip is totally fried—then the program just hits you with a read-only error.