USB flash drives -- can they be physically 'locked' to be non-rewritable ?

[eppur_se_muova]

Or is there anything like a PROM or EPROM for USB installer drives ?

(I'm not looking for anything like encryption or password-protection. I want WORM capability.)

[liberal N proud]

1. Some have sliding locks on them that make them write protected.

Chechnya the side of the unit for a symbol that looks like a lock.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Thanks, I have not seen those yet.

I usually eyeball the flash drives in any store that has them, looking for bargains.

[PoliticAverse]

2. You can get an SD card (those have a write-protection switch)

and use it with an USB SD Card reader.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. I have some MicroSD cards - I don't see anything like a switch on them.

However, the adapter does have an (unlabeled) switch. You'd think there'd be room to emboss the words "locked" and "unlocked" beside it, but NOOOOOOOOO...

I have a MicroSD to USB adapter with no switch on it. Will have to look around some more.

If the computer in question has an SD card slot, you just solved my problem. If nothing more, you let me know to google for "unlock SD card" and I found a bunch of helpful stuff ... http://techchannel.radioshack.com/remove-write-protection-microsd-card-1423.html

[Mnpaul]

7. SD cards are not actually hardware protected

SD Cards, while they have a write-protect switch, are actually no good for this purpose because it’s not actually hardware write protection – at best the card reader sends a signal to the operating system that the drive should be treated as read-only. The write-protect switch on the cards is read by a sensor that’s part of the card reader, and the card reader then passes along to the operating system whether the card is read-only.
http://www.fencepost.net/2010/03/usb-flash-drives-with-hardware-write-protection/

The same page does have a list of hardware protected USB drives

[eppur_se_muova]

8. Now THAT'S what I was looking for ! Thanks a bunch ! nt

[ChromeFoundry]

3. To make a USB removable drive read-only, in Windows...

Open a CMD.exe prompt, Run as Administrator.

type DISKPART and hit Enter.

at the DISKPART prompt...
DISKPART> LIST DISK
Find your USB device, usually the highest number.
DISKPART> SELECT DISK 2
Replace "2" with your USB disk number.
DISKPART> ATTRIBUTE DISK
Notice: "Current Read-only State: No"
DISKPART> ATTRIBUTE DISK SET READONLY
Notice: "Disk attributes set successfully."
DISKPART> ATTRIBUTE DISK
Notice: "Current Read-only State: Yes"

DISKPART> EXIT

[eppur_se_muova]

4. I already know about that. I want a HARDWARE disable ...

something that can't be circumvented by mounting under another OS.

[ChromeFoundry]

9. Unless it has a switch, cannot be done

then Super Glue the switch in the lock position.
Unfortunately, most cheap flash drives no longer have the switch. The other option is to cut the Write current trace on the circuit board to the NAND chip, but that would certainly destroy the case.

[cstanleytech]

10. Maybe something like

http://kanguru.com/storage-accessories/flash-blu30.shtml ?
There is also http://kanguru.com/storage-accessories/kanguru-flashtrust-secure-firmware.shtml which might be more to your likely if you want even better security.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Yep, that's it. Apparently switches used to be more common when flash drives first came out ...

which was, admittedly, news to me.