# Corrupt USB drive from balenaEtcher

**URL:** <https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961>\
**Category:** balenaEtcher\
**Tags:** support\
**Created:** [September 20, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961 "2023-09-20T12:40:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CapoFantasma97](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/capofantasma97/32/9338_2.png) [@CapoFantasma97](https://forums.balena.io/u/CapoFantasma97)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 12:40pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961/1 "2023-09-20T12:40:49Z")

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I used balenaEtcher to flash `ubuntu-22.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso` into a cleanly formatted USB drive.

The process ended with an error flashing the device. Now it’s unusable and unformattable (write protected) but still recognized as a drive by Windows 11.

I tried following this guide [Etcher broke my USB stick … or did it?](https://blog.balena.io/did-etcher-break-my-usb-sd-card/)  
But the `clean` command on `diskpart` gives an I/O device error.

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**Author:** ![the-real-kenna](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/the-real-kenna/32/9598_2.png) [@the-real-kenna](https://forums.balena.io/u/the-real-kenna)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961/3 "2023-09-20T23:43:33Z")

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Hi @capofantasma97,

Thanks for reaching out. 🙂

Flash drives can suddenly fail for a lot of reasons, so I’m not exactly certain of the cause, but I found an article that I would use if I were in the same situation to see if I could bring it back to life: [Fixed: Diskpart Clean Errors in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7](https://www.diskpart.com/diskpart/diskpart-clean-error-0310.html#toc.0.9018351045413753)

Sending good vibes to you that the USB drive is repairable! Let me know if this does help… I always like to keep good tips around in case someone else needs the same help.

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**Author:** ![CapoFantasma97](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/capofantasma97/32/9338_2.png) [@CapoFantasma97](https://forums.balena.io/u/CapoFantasma97)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961/5 "2023-09-23T14:14:46Z")

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That guide suggested among other things to run `attribute disk clear readonly` on the problematic drive in diskpart. That solved the issue, as I was then able to clean, create a new partition and format it.

It works correctly now.

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**Author:** ![myarmolinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@myarmolinsky](https://forums.balena.io/u/myarmolinsky)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/corrupt-usb-drive-from-balenaetcher/368961/6 "2023-09-25T13:21:25Z")

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Glad to hear it, thank you for confirming that the guide was helpful and resolved your issue 🙂