Why do some directories become read-only?

[mholt]

I have that happen every now and then. I download some files, and
then suddenly I'm told I can't change the directory. Windows
Explorer tells me it's been changed to read-only. There's nothing I
can think of that I do to make the change.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[Nil]

I have that happen every now and then. I download some files, and
then suddenly I'm told I can't change the directory. Windows
Explorer tells me it's been changed to read-only. There's nothing I
can think of that I do to make the change.

Please cite a specific example. What file? Where do you download it to?

What do you mean by "change the directory?"

 

[mholt]

Please cite a specific example. What file? Where do you download it to?

PDF,s JPGs, you name it ...

What do you mean by "change the directory?"

The directory's properties tab tells me that it has become read-only.

 

[Nil]

PDF,s JPGs, you name it ...

That does not answer my question.

The directory's properties tab tells me that it has become
read-only.

Did you actually try to delete it?

 

[Tim Slattery]

The directory's properties tab tells me that it has become read-only.

No, that's not what it's telling you.

There is no read-only property for a directory. The read-only box you
see on the directory's property page is a short cut that allows you to
change the read-only property for all the files in the directory at
once.

You're looking at a three-state box in its neutral (neither checked
nor unchecked) state. On my machine it has a gray background with a
check in it, but that varies according to the theme you've chosen.
Click it and it becomes unchecked (white background, no check on my
machine). Click it again and it's checked (check with white background
here). Another click returns it to the neutral state.

 

[liu]

Sounds like malicious codes. I had similar thing happened to me that my folders and files appear to be gone. Later I found them been changed to hidden and read-only.