The green mask is likely a reminder that a folder cannot be made read-only.
If you check the box to apply read-only attributes to the folder, it does so
to the contents of the folder, only; the folder itself is not flagged as
read-only. As such, Explorer ignores the read-only attribute on the folder
level.
However, Windows Explorer does use the folder-level read-only attribute to
determine if a folder is marked as a "special" (such as My Documents,
Favorites, etc.) , or is a system folder. These folders do not reflect the
read-only attribute when seen under a folder's properties, but they are
read-only and Explorer will not allow you to delete them. From the CMD
window, you can see the attributes of a folder by using the ATTRIB command.
The Customize tab (under properties) can be used to set a special folder.
- Vinson
