A folder CAN have the read-only bit set, but there is no way to remove
it from the Windows GUI. I would add that the Windows GUI also offers no
support for setting/removing the system bit from files or folders.
[[Read Only on a folder has nothing to do with read only. It means parse the
desktop.ini when applied to a folder (as does system). ]] David Candy
And Windows Explorer offers no way to tell if a folder is System or
Read-only (parse the desktop.ini). The only folder attributes that you can
see with Windows Explorer are Archive, Compressed, Encrypted or Hidden.
People like you have to use attrib.exe to break special folders.
Most folders are *NOT* Read-only.
Special folders (I.e. Cookies, Control Panel, Desktop, Downloaded Program
Files, Favorites, Fonts, History, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My
Videos, Recycle Bin, Shared Documents, Shared Music, Shared Pictures, Shared
Videos, SendTo, Start Menu, Startup, Temporary Internet Files, etc.) need to
have the System or Read-only (parse the desktop.ini) attributes set, or they
become regular folders.
BTW, your command, ATTRIB -s -h -r *.* /S /D *REMOVES* the System, Hidden
and Read-only attributes. I.e. fouls up some of the special folders.
[[The Read-only and System attributes is only used by Windows Explorer to
determine whether the folder is a special folder, such as a system folder
that has its view customized by Windows (for example, My Documents,
Favorites, Fonts, Downloaded Program Files), or a folder that you customized
by using the Customize tab of the folder's Properties dialog box. As a
result, Windows Explorer does not allow you to view or change the Read-only
or System attributes of folders. When a folder has the Read-Only attribute
set it causes Explorer to request the Desktop.ini of that folder to see if
any special folder settings need to be set. ]]
[[*Warning* If you remove the Read-only or System attribute from a folder,
it may appear as a ordinary folder and some customizations may be lost. For
example, Windows customizes the Fonts folder and provides a special folder
view that permits you to hide variations, such as bold and italic. It also
permits you to change the folder's view settings in ways that are specific
to fonts. If you remove the Read-only and System attributes of the Fonts
folder, these customized view settings are not available. For folders that
you have customized by using the Customize tab of the folder's Properties
dialog box, the folder icon and other customizations may be lost when
you remove the Read-only attribute. ]]
[[The Read-only check box for folders is not available because it does not
apply to the folder. You can use this check box to set the Read-only
attribute for files in the folder. However, you cannot use Windows Explorer
to determine if a folder has the Read-only and System attributes set. ]]
from...
You Cannot View or Change the Read-Only or System Attribute of Folders
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326549
Microsoft's Grammar Checker must have been broken that day.
According to David Candy, Microsoft, back in the Windows 95 days, used an
unused attribute called Read-only for folders. This attribute does not mean
Read-only for folders, it means parse the desktop.ini.
[[The difference between a folder and a file is that the directory attribute
is set on the file to make it a directory (likewise a volume label is a zero
byte file with the volume attribute set.
A better way of looking at it is that it's a meaningless attribute, and
always has been. Because it is meaningless MS used it when 95/NT4 was
released to do other tasks.
That particular bit prior to NT4/95
Means Read Only on a file and means nothing on a folder.
After 95/NT4
Means read only on a file, and as directories CAN'T be read only, by design,
the space used could be reused for other purposes - and was so used for
parsing a desktop.ini.
If you can't understand that then change your thinking to
There is no such attribute called read only on a folder, only Parse the
desktop.ini.
The only attribute that is traditionally applied to folders is Hidden (and
of
course directory) - all other are free to be reused and Read Only and System
were - the difference between the two is you may get a message when trying
to delete a system folder (which can be suppressed by a desktop.ini setting)
saying "This is a System folder - sure you want to delete". Apart from that
they have identical meanings - no meaning before 95 and parse the
desktop.ini 95 and later. ]]
From David Candy
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...id+author:candy&rnum=3&hl=en#c3b9cc87ab178b12
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In
