This feature requires removable media

If you are locked out and cannot access your administrator account on your Windows 10 PC and when you try to reset the administrator password, you receive the error message “This feature requires removable media“, So this article is meant to help you. In this article, we will provide you the solution that you can try to solve this problem effectively.

When you experience this problem, you receive the following error message;

No reader. This feature requires removable media, such as a USB drive. Please connect a USB flash drive, then try again.

Password reset requires that you have previously (recommended after completing your Windows 10 device setup) created a password reset drive (like a USB drive) as a backup. That way only someone with that drive (which you need to lock or keep hidden) could enter your computer.

Since you have never created a password reset reader, you cannot use this function.

However, since you are faced with the This feature requires removable media, such as a USB drive issue, you can try one of our recommended solutions shown below to resolve the issue.

Use the built-in administrator account to reset your password
Create a new administrator account

Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved for each of the solutions listed.

1]Use the built-in administrator account to reset your password

To use the built-in administrator account to reset your password, follow these steps:

Now that you are in Safe Mode, you can use the built-in administrator account to perform any necessary recovery. The built-in Administrator account should not be used for any other purpose, or it will not be available in situations like this when you need it.

On the login screen, click the arrow icon and select the Administrator account.
On the desktop environment, tap Windows key + R, to call up the Run dialog box.
In the Run dialog box, type control and press Enter to open the Control Panel.
In Control Panel, find and select the User accounts option.
in the User accounts window, select Manage another account.
in the Manage another account window, select your administrator account.
In the next window that opens, click on the to change the password link.
in the Change administrator password window, enter the desired password in the New Password field, enter the same password in the Confirm the new password field.
Click it to change the password button.
Restart the PC in normal mode.

On startup, see if you can log in with your administrator account with the new password. Otherwise, go to the next solution if the This feature requires removable media the problem persists.

2]Create a new administrator account

You can try this solution if Solution 1] above didn’t work for you for one reason or another, especially if your locked administrator account is corrupted.

This solution requires you to log into Windows 10 with the default / built-in administrator account, then delete the corrupt account and create a new administrator account.

Here’s how:

- Boot into the Recovery Environment (WinRE) on Windows 10.
- in the Windows recovery environment, on the Choose an option screen, click Troubleshooting> Advanced options> Command prompt.
- In the CMD prompt, type the command below and press Enter.

net user administrator /active:yes

Then type exit and press Enter.
Restart your PC.

On start-up, log in (has no password) with the default / built-in administrator account. Once you are logged in, go to the Accounts page and create a new user account.

Then open the Control Panel, find and select the User accounts option.
in the User accounts window, select Manage another account.
in the Manage another account window, select your corrupt administrator account.
Click it Delete account link.

You can now deactivate the built-in administrator account.
Here’s how:

hurry Windows key + R to call up the Run dialog box.
In the Run dialog box, type cmd then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open the command prompt in administrator / elevated mode.
In the Command Prompt window, type the command below and press Enter.

net user administrator /active:no

Then you can exit the command prompt and restart your Windows 10 device.

Once the system has restarted, you can now log in with the new user account.

That’s all! The solutions presented in this article should help you resolve the issue This feature requires removable media, such as USB flash drive issue in Windows 10.