Error Code 15 for USB

Error Code 15 for USB


Error Code 15 for USB (Windows or MAC OSX)




Error Code 15 has several potential causes:


1.            The USB has two partitions. If you have renamed either, the program will not recognise it. Check in Explorer/Finder: The USB should have two parts, either  WS-SHARED / WORDSHARK  or NS-SHARED / NUMBERSHARK. Please check you have not renamed either, and correct this if you have. If this does not work, contact us.


2.            The USB was removed from the machine before the program finished closing down. Remembering to use the eject symbol usually stops this from happening (most likely on a Mac machine). Try running from each USB port in turn, ejecting BOTH partitions from each using the eject symbol. See also https://v5support.wordshark.co.uk/portal/kb/v5-support/technical-support-for-usbs/use-safe-ejection-and-movement-to-other-computers/taking-care-of-your-usb 


3.            Anti-virus programs have blocked the program from running. Check in the anti-virus program under ‘blocked’/’quarantine’ and restore if necessary.

a) Mac: Wordshark 5.app / Numbershark 5.app (less commonly a problem on a Mac machine, but does happen). 

b) PC: Wordshark 5 USB.exe / Numbershark 5 USB.exe


4.            The copy protection does not recognise the USB as valid. This can happen if you have copied the program to another USB, or onto the machine, and are using the copy rather than the original.


5.            On a Mac machine, The ICON in the dock has become corrupted. Eject/Un-mount both partitions of the USB, remove any remaining icons from dock (drag to trash) and then reinsert the stick. If the icon will not delete reboot machine.


6. The whole of the wordshark-shared folder has been deleted (we may need to replace the USB stick, for which a reduced “replacement charge” may be payable).



7. For Mac users, the ICON in the dock has become invalid. Eject/Un-mount both partitions of the USB, remove any remaining Numbershark 5 USB icons from the Dock (drag to trash) and then reinsert the stick. If the icon will not delete, reboot machine. To reinstate the icon in the Dock, find the Numbershark 5 USB application on the ‘NUMBERSHARK’ volume of the USB stick and drag and drop it to the Dock.


8.            Very rarely, a customer has set their time zone to UTC +14, Kiribata (Line Islands).   For reasons totally beyond our understanding, this returns an “Error Code 15”. Please check what time zone your computer is set to. Our apologies if you are a resident of the Line Islands, but please switch to a different time zone to use our program! 





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