--- title: "What does \"Delayed Write Failed\" mean?" description: "Hi Techie, A message popped up on my screen that said \"Delayed Write Failed\" to my USB drive. What does that mean and what should I do? Hi Us" image: https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/hs-fs/file-18376551-png/images/askatechieicon-150x150.png --- ## [Northampton Computer Repair](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/) 413-341-3571 12 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 # Ask-A-Techie, Where you can have all of your questions answered. ## [What does "Delayed Write Failed" mean?](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/bid/171187/What-does-Delayed-Write-Failed-mean) Posted by [Edward Drummond](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/author/edward-drummond) on Mon, Jun 18, 2012 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Ask-A-Techie Logo](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/hs-fs/file-18376551-png/images/askatechieicon-150x150.png) Hi Techie, A message popped up on my screen that said "Delayed Write Failed" to my USB drive. What does that mean and what should I do? Hi User, Windows uses a function called "delayed write" to cache certain operations like writing to a disk and wait until the system is idle.  While this can speed up the computer's response time, it unfortunately means that if you are using a USB-based storage device like a flash drive and remove it before the system decides it wants to write your file to the drive, it will give you an error.  If you follow the steps ahead, you can fix this issue in most cases. 1. Click "Start," then click "Control Panel." Click "Performance and Maintenance," then "System." 2. Click the "Hardware" option, "Device Manager," then locate and right-click on "Device Driver." 3. Click "Properties," then click "Policies." Uncheck the "Enable write caching on the disk " box, click "Ok," then click on "Device Manager," then "Exit." If this fixes your issue, then fantastic. If these steps don't fix it however, you may have something more substantial going on with your machine and you might want to talk to your trusted technician about the problem.  We can help at our store in downtown Northampton, MA.  [Check us out](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/contact-us/) Tags: [flash drives](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/topic/flash-drives), [Ask-a-techie](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/topic/ask-a-techie), [PC tips](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/topic/pc-tips), [PC Tips'n'tricks](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/topic/pc-tips39n39tricks), [Windows Tips](https://www.northamptoncomputerrepair.com/ask-a-techie/topic/windows-tips) # Ask-A-Techie ## your question here ## Our Most Popular Posts © 2016 Northampton Computer Repair