How To Disable a USB Flash Drive (Mass Storage Devices Only)

Whenever you insert a USB flash drive into your computer, the flash drive is detected automatically by Windows and then opened. Here I am going to show you how to stop your USB Flash Drives Mass Storage Only through registry.

This trick can also be done through my computer Device Manager but that one stops all the USB connections. This is not recommended.

So are you ready to start?

Here we go.

1.Click Start Menu > go to run command and type "regedit" without quotes. Registry Editor will open.

2.Expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder then SYSTEM >CURRENT CONTROLL SET > SERVICES >USBstor, located at the left pane.

3.Find "Start" in the right pane with the blue icon.

4.Double click "Start". A box titled "Edit DWORD value" will open.

5.Write down "4" in the "Value Data" Field. Illustration 1.1

6.Click OK and then close the Registry Editor.

Illustration 1.1

Your USB flash drive is now disabled. Whenever you insert a flash drive, Windows won't detect it and will not open it.

To enable it again, repeat steps 1 through 4 and then change the value to 3. The default value for enabling a USB flash drive is 3.

Note: Performing this trick will only Disable USB Mass Storage devices and will not affect other USB Devices such as USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, Scanner, Printer etc....always backup your registry to prevent losing your valuable data.

Show Hidden Files and Folders not working?

Show Hidden Files and Folders not working?

A few days back, a client came to me and told me that he was having trouble with his Windows XP. The show hidden files and folders was not working at all. If he selected the radio button “Show hidden files and folders”, and then press Ok .. the changes would just disappear upon opening the dialog again. It was probably some virus attack after which the Windows registry was not being updated properly. So here is what I did to restore it back. There are so many methods to restore back the registry. If one method is not working, please try another one.

Method 1:

Go to registry editor by running regedit in the run box.Go to this key:HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
In the right hand area, double click hidden and change the value to 1.

Now you’re all set to go. Check it in your tools menu if the changes have taken effect.

Method 2:

1. Click “Start” -> “Run…” (or press Windows key + R)2. Type “regedit” and click “Ok”.3. Find the

key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden\SHOWALL4. Look at the “CheckedValue” key… This should be a DWORD key. If it isn’t, delete the key.5. Create a new key called “CheckedValue” as a DWORD (hexadecimal) with a value of 1.6. The

“Show hidden files & folders” check box should now work normally. Enjoy!

Method 3:

1- Click Start –> Run –> regsvr32 /i browseui.dll –> enter
A confirmation message will appear like given below
2- Click Start –> Run –> regsvr32 /i shell32.dll

Wait for the confirmation and click OK.

Method 4:

If none of the above methods work, please download our Smart Virus Remover from here:

Smart Virus Remover

Using this Virus Remover please restore your Windows settings and your show hidden files and folders will be set to default.