folder/file read only

[Mr. Newt]

Hi y'all,

WinXP SP2 problem. Folders and files in the program files folder are set to
read only. I try to turn off read only in these folders and lower folders
and files. It seems to take, but when I close the explorer and reopen, the
read only is back. I am an administrator on the computer, I've tried
changing the attributes in a dos (command prompt) window, and I've tried
starting in safe mode. Nothing I do seems to have an effect.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Robert

 

[David Candy]

What's the problem?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Any ideas?

Yes - it's normal. "Read Only" as an attribute on a folder is ignored by the
system. Are you actually having a problem, or is this just a curiosity?

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Mr. Newt]

The problem is that when it is read only, you cannot write to that folder or
subfiles. I need to be able to do this. Let's make this simple: I make a
text file on the desktop and drag and drop to a folder. Now, when I try to
edit the file, it's read only. This is of critical importance for a program
that I run on the system.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

You're not listening. That attribute, though it seems to exist on the
folder, is *ignored* by the system. If you cannot edit a file you created,
then you have an issue, but this is not the problem.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Mr. Newt]

The problem I am having is a KNOWN issue (I found this by googling). I
guess no one has reported it here before? I find that hard to believe.
Any way, thanks for responding even if it was of no help.
Robert

 

[David Candy]

You are probably misrteading what you have read. Prove that they are read only. Explorer won't tell you if a folder is read only or not. It will for files.

 

[David Candy]

And we are all tired of people wanting to argue with us about this. Most of us have 10 years (in August) experience of arguing about this.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

<sigh> You read but do not comprehend. People *think* it's an issue - it is
not. People *think* that this makes the files in the folder uneditable - it
does not. It is *NOT* the issue that you or anyone that you have googled
think it is. It hasn't been, and it's not going to be. I cannot make this
any clearer.

If the file (read: *file*, not *folder*) is uneditable, it may contain the
"read only" attribute, but it is not inheriting this from the folder. It may
also be a permissions issue, if you do not have a sufficient level of
priviledges on the system, you will not be able to edit system files or
files created by another user with a higher level if they chose to make them
read only. But, just to repeat myself, this has absolutely nothing to do
with the read only attribute that you are seeing at the directory level.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org