Windows XP home "read only" folders.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kraut / Larry Stark
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Kraut / Larry Stark

Is there any way to change the attributes for Windows XP home "read
only" folders? I had to replace a couple bad files in a program but
could not because the folder was "read only" as they all are in XP!!

I am running Windows XP home 32 bit with all the updates and service
packs.

I Googled the program and found some fixes people posted but none
worked!! I tryed to MS thing for using "attrib" from the command
line, I went in Control Panel, System, System Properties, Advanced,
Enviroment variables and changed path and several other "fixes" I
found for the read only program.

The only thing I did not try was going Safe Mode and working on it.
Last time I tryed that I had to take box in to straighten it out so
Safe Mde is OUT.

Can anyone help me out? Is this some kind of program out there that I
can run to change the attributes?!?!?

TIA
 
Care to share what programs and folders you're talking about or do we
have to guess?
Click to expand...

Try all of the folders. If you run XP you ought to know that they ALL
are marked as Read Only". It really does not matter what folders I am
trying to replace files in this time because it has happened with
various folders when trying to copy something to it I get "Access
Denied".

I thought it was a pretty straight forward and simple question. I
have not wrote down all the folders that it has ever happened withover
time. Sorry!!!!
 
You need to login as an administrator or a user with administrator
privileges to be able to change files on systems folders or folders that
were previously created by an administrator.

HTH
 
Kraut / Larry Stark said:
Is there any way to change the attributes for Windows XP home "read
only" folders? I had to replace a couple bad files in a program but
could not because the folder was "read only" as they all are in XP!!
Click to expand...

There is no read-only attribute for folders!

What you are seeing in the Properties dialog is a shortcut that allows
you to set or clear the read-only flag for all files in the directory,
all at once.

You're looking at a three-state check-box that starts off in its
neutral state: neither checked nor unchecked. The way it looks on your
machine will vary depending on your display settings, on my machine
the box contains a check mark but it has a gray background.

Click it, and the checkmark and the gray go away, and the box is in
its "unchecked" state. If you click "OK" or "Apply" at this time all
files in the folder will have the read-only attribute removed.

Click it again, and it's in the"Checked" state. On my machine, that's
a white background and a checkmark. Now clicking "OK" or "Apply" will
make all files in the folder read-only.

Click it once more, and it goes back to the neutral state.

This drives people nuts all the time. The "Neutral" display is
constantly misread as "Checked", because of its misleading appearance.
 
Kraut said:
Try all of the folders. If you run XP you ought to know that they ALL
are marked as Read Only". It really does not matter what folders I am
trying to replace files in this time because it has happened with
various folders when trying to copy something to it I get "Access
Denied".

I thought it was a pretty straight forward and simple question. I
have not wrote down all the folders that it has ever happened withover
time. Sorry!!!!
Click to expand...

I'm not an expert, but the location of the files is important, when
figuring out what is going on.

*******

Attributes in NTFS, aren't always what they seem.

"Unable to remove Read-Only attribute from folder" -- scroll down a bit

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256614

"Windows Explorer uses the Read-Only attribute to determine
whether or not the folder is customized."

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1024823382

"The Read-only attribute on a folder is ignored by the file system....
You can still delete, rename, and change a read-only folder in other ways.
You can remove or put a check mark in the check box to modify the attributes
of the contents of the folder (files but not subfolders), but you cannot
change the Read-only attributes of system folders."

WinXP is armed with this additional feature as well. "Windows File Protection"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_File_Protection

"With Windows File Protection active, replacing or deleting a system
file that has no file lock to prevent it getting overwritten causes
Windows immediately and silently to restore the original copy of the
file. The original version of the file is restored from a cached folder
which contains backup copies of these files."

That feature can be overridden. In this example, a computer with extremely
small system disk - they disable WFP so that the DLLcache can be cleaned out,
saving space for other things. Naturally, running the system this way,
leaves it open to more exploits. You might as well be running Windows 98.

http://wiki.eeeuser.com/windows:disablewfp

You can also find articles on changing files controlled by WFP. These
would be tools for updating files, in the same way an installer might
do it.

http://www.bitsum.com/aboutwfp.asp

So it may not actually be the attributes that are
affecting what you're doing. It could be WFP.

Paul
 
Mr Stark,
Yu do have to realize a couple of things - the more
important of them being that just because you had a bad experience whilst
using "Safe Mode" does not mean that it will ever happen to you that way
again!!

The fact of the matter is; "Safe Mode" was created in every version of
Windows for a reason, and that is to be able to start the PC interface,
while only loading the fewest, most basic drivers and services to free the
system so that essential maintenance may be carried out on the system.

It is usually found that problems began well before "Safe Mode" was ever
brought in to help solve it - and is [nearly] unheard of for it to be the
cause! You cannot go round being fearful of [even more] problems arising
as a result of using this major repair tool - one day you'll be told that
it is the ONLY way to be able to fix a problem - then where will you be?

As for this particular problem :-

It strikes me as odd that none of the responders had asked you concerning
what permissions your profile had - that is; are you a "Limited User" or
"Computer Administrator" ? If you don't know, open "Control Panel" >
"User Accounts" and it will tell you. This might explain why certain
files are "undeletable" if you were a limited "User"....

As if you had "Administrators" permissions, then you would be able to
assign *any* file to the Recycle Bin (except those currently "in use" i.e.
loaded and giving the message "Problem accessing file: check to see if the
disk is not write-protected" or a simple "Access denied" in a Command
Prompt).

And, again, if you were had "Administrator" privileges, you would be able
to type the following in a "Command Prompt" window :

attrib -r "C:\My Path\Filename.ext"

....to remove the read-only attribute from the file (type - attrib /? - for
help on this command).

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
Is there any way to change the attributes for Windows XP home "read
only" folders? I had to replace a couple bad files in a program but
could not because the folder was "read only" as they all are in XP!!

I am running Windows XP home 32 bit with all the updates and service
packs.

I Googled the program and found some fixes people posted but none
worked!! I tryed to MS thing for using "attrib" from the command
line, I went in Control Panel, System, System Properties, Advanced,
Enviroment variables and changed path and several other "fixes" I
found for the read only program.

The only thing I did not try was going Safe Mode and working on it.
Last time I tryed that I had to take box in to straighten it out so
Safe Mde is OUT.

Can anyone help me out? Is this some kind of program out there that I
can run to change the attributes?!?!?

TIA
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the replies I got about a way to get files moved when
access to the folder I want to move it too gives an :Access denied"
message.

Someone mentioned a program called Unlocker for Windows 2000, XP,
2003, Vista and 7 both 32 and 64 bits. It lets you choose files to
move and where. Then when you reboot system it moves the files to
where you want them.

I do not remember who posted the link for this prog but thank you so
very much. It solved my problem!! Plus it is freeware!!
 
Yes indeed, I also have used "Unlocker" for a couple of years now, and
found it excellent. Not least, the way it "pops up" when an "Access
denied" message appears after attempting an operation on a file.

For anyone else interested, here is the link again...

"Unlocker" for Windows; download installation file :

http://www.brothersoft.com/download-unlocker-208761.html

....or go to the official developer's website :

http://unlocker.emptyloop.com/

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
In
Tim said:
Yes indeed, I also have used "Unlocker" for a couple of years now, and
found it excellent. Not least, the way it "pops up" when an "Access
denied" message appears after attempting an operation on a file.

For anyone else interested, here is the link again...

"Unlocker" for Windows; download installation file :

http://www.brothersoft.com/download-unlocker-208761.html

...or go to the official developer's website :

http://unlocker.emptyloop.com/
Click to expand...

Yes I like Unlocker too. Although newer versions has adware in them. So
be careful!

And I think BartPE is often overlooked. As it allows you do virtually
anything to the XP drive. You can even look into the System Information
folder which XP doesn't want you to peek into.
 
I would think BartPE would be more suited to repairing an XP installation
that won't start, rather than a case where a file has become "locked" by
some other process... An "intermediate" solution would be to use Win XP's
built-inn utility - Recovery Console - to do stuff like deleting / moving /
re-naming files that Windows otherwise has a problem with... But it's a
good idea to have it installed, already, as a Start-Up Option (using the
installation cd and the "winnt32.exe /cmdcons" command). With it, you can
also "peek" into stuff you normally can't do - logged on as Administrator.

(You would need to set the following registry values to be able to "access
all areas" in RC using the following example batch-script) (Works for Home
and Pro)


------------------- copy between lines -------------------

@echo off
SETLOCAL
set REGKEY="HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole"
reg ADD %REGKEY% /v SetCommand /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg ADD %REGKEY% /v SecurityLevel /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

------------------- copy between lines -------------------


But the "Unlocker" software is successful at giving me complete access to
problem files 95% of the time in my own experiences on my own XP system -
and so, by using "Unlocker", there's no real reason to use either RC or
Bart'sPE.


==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
In
Tim said:
I would think BartPE would be more suited to repairing an XP
installation that won't start, rather than a case where a file has
become "locked" by some other process... An "intermediate" solution
would be to use Win XP's built-inn utility - Recovery Console - to do
stuff like deleting / moving / re-naming files that Windows otherwise
has a problem with... But it's a good idea to have it installed,
already, as a Start-Up Option (using the installation cd and the
"winnt32.exe /cmdcons" command). With it, you can also "peek" into
stuff you normally can't do - logged on as Administrator.
Click to expand...

Actually I find just the opposite. The only task I find useful with XP's
Recovery Console is fixmbr and fixboot commands and that is all. And
while I used to have RC running on my hard drive, it is completely
useless when something has written over the MBR. And that is the only
reason why I use RC in the first place.

RC also doesn't allow wildcards. So it isn't very much fun to do
anything with RC. BartPE is far better. I have also used BartPE to make
backups. You can also clone another drive with it too. Only if it had
fixmbr and fixboot, it would be perfect. ;-)
 
If the mbr is damaged so that one cannot even get to the XP Startup Menu,
then the RC may be started from either; 1). A backup internal hard-drive
with XP/RC installed on it, 2). The initial XP Installation cd-rom, 3).
from a USB memory-stick with "XP_Recovery_Console_on_USB" installed on it
or 4). From a special, cut-down, XP Installation cd-rom, the ISO image
downloaded from the internet as "xp_rec_con.iso".

It's as easy as anything to boot into the RC from either the original or a
"cut-down" XP Installation cd-rom.

Personally, I use the RC to make copies of the NT registry-files (in the
...\system32\config directory) which are otherwise inaccessible to copy
while Windows is running.

I have needed to re-instate the "current_user" part of the registry when
Windows found it corrupted once, stating - "Windows cannot locate the
specified profile". If I had not backed it up, I would have lost all of my
personal settings associated with my profile. As it was, I used the RC to
copy the saved [ntuser.dat] file back and everything worked and was able to
log-in normally.

You are allowed to use wildcards with certain RC commands, but you have to
set one of the following special RC environment variables;

set AllowWildcards = TRUE
set AllowAllPaths = TRUE
set AllowRemovableMedia = TRUE
set NoCopyPrompt = FALSE

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
In
Tim said:
If the mbr is damaged so that one cannot even get to the XP Startup
Menu, then the RC may be started from either; 1). A backup internal
hard-drive with XP/RC installed on it, 2). The initial XP
Installation cd-rom, 3). from a USB memory-stick with
"XP_Recovery_Console_on_USB" installed on it or 4). From a special,
cut-down, XP Installation cd-rom, the ISO image downloaded from the
internet as "xp_rec_con.iso".
It's as easy as anything to boot into the RC from either the original
or a "cut-down" XP Installation cd-rom.
Click to expand...

No it isn't real easy. I have to pull out an USB floppy drive and press
F6 to load up the SATA drivers before the XP CD can see the drive. It is
a royal PIA.
Personally, I use the RC to make copies of the NT registry-files (in
the ..\system32\config directory) which are otherwise inaccessible to
copy while Windows is running.
Click to expand...

ERUNT does that job far better and runs under XP or BartPE. And if you
want to edit the registry, BartPE can do that too.
I have needed to re-instate the "current_user" part of the registry
when Windows found it corrupted once, stating - "Windows cannot
locate the specified profile". If I had not backed it up, I would
have lost all of my personal settings associated with my profile. As
it was, I used the RC to copy the saved [ntuser.dat] file back and
everything worked and was able to log-in normally.
Click to expand...

Way too much work, BartPE includes a file manager and you just copy and
paste.
You are allowed to use wildcards with certain RC commands, but you
have to set one of the following special RC environment variables;

set AllowWildcards = TRUE
set AllowAllPaths = TRUE
set AllowRemovableMedia = TRUE
set NoCopyPrompt = FALSE
Click to expand...

Using BartPE you just copy and paste.
 
Bart's PE may well be able to do the job, I don't deny it, however ERUNT
will create backups and even restore them - so long as Windows is running -
but if the registry is compromised, then even the ERUNT program suggests
using RC because they include the automatic generation of script-files
ending in [*.con] to automate the job or restoration in RC using the
"BATCH" command...

Sorry you find it so difficult to start RC, and does your PC not support
booting from a USB "pen-drive" ?
RC on bootable USB :
http://www.4shared.com/file/t3MX2P8z/XP_Recovery_Console_on_USB.html

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
In
Tim said:
Bart's PE may well be able to do the job, I don't deny it, however
ERUNT will create backups and even restore them - so long as Windows
is running - but if the registry is compromised, then even the ERUNT
program suggests using RC because they include the automatic
generation of script-files ending in [*.con] to automate the job or
restoration in RC using the "BATCH" command...
Click to expand...

If XP is unable to boot because of registry corruption. BartPE can run
ERUNT to restore the registry to an earlier state.
Sorry you find it so difficult to start RC, and does your PC not
support booting from a USB "pen-drive" ?
RC on bootable USB :
http://www.4shared.com/file/t3MX2P8z/XP_Recovery_Console_on_USB.html
Click to expand...

Sure I can run RC from a pen drive. But it still can't see a SATA hard
drive. The drive that Windows XP is on. As I have five Gateway M465 with
SATA drives and an Alienware M9700 with two SATA drives. The other 6
laptops use PATA drives, so I am ok there.

I probably could slipstream the SATA drivers on to the XP CD. That would
probably solve the SATA driver problem. But BartPE is so much better
than RC anyway.
 
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