If the USB drive is write-protected, you'll need to disable this feature. The steps to do this vary depending on the USB drive manufacturer. Here are general steps:
Unlike Windows 10 or 11, Windows 7 handles USB device permissions, volume mounting, and background services differently. The "access denied" error rarely means your USB is physically damaged. Instead, it points to one of five core issues: rufus access to device denied windows 7
If the basic fixes don't work, the issue may be related to the drive's current state: Recommended Action If the USB drive is write-protected, you'll need
The "Access to the device is denied" error in Rufus on Windows 7 If the USB drive is write-protected