XP Pro: Won't Change Read Only Property

[clintonG]

XP Pro will not allow me to change the Read Only property on a folder and
its contents. The setting can be changed but the change reverts back to Read
Only as soon as the dialog is closed. What's up?

<%= Clinton Gallagher

 

[Bob I]

And it won't matter, as that setting isn't observed by Windows. Only the
files can have the read-only set in that manner.

 

[Malke]

XP Pro will not allow me to change the Read Only property on a folder
and its contents. The setting can be changed but the change reverts
back to Read Only as soon as the dialog is closed. What's up?

<%= Clinton Gallagher

This is normal behavior for XP folders. The Read Only attribute means
nothing. It isn't available for folders. Are you have some problem with
the folder contents that we can help you with?

Malke

 

[clintonG]

Well I can't write to the folder using another machine on my LAN. All other
accounts and access permissions are okay. None of the files in the folder
are marked Read Only. Just the folders. Using Google to search indicated
this is an OS bug. I thought others may have some idea how to resolve it.

<%= Clinton Gallagher

 

[Tim Slattery]

Well I can't write to the folder using another machine on my LAN. All other
accounts and access permissions are okay. None of the files in the folder
are marked Read Only. Just the folders.

Actually the folders are not marked read-only. You're seeing a
three-state box in its third state: grayed, with a check mark. That
means that it doesn't apply here. (Yeah, it doesn't communicate that
very well, and maybe they should have made it unchangeable here. But
that's what it's trying to say.)

Whatever is keeping you from putting more files into that directory,
this isn't it.

If this is a FAT32 partition, they you can't put more than 65,000
(about) entries in a directory. Each file takes from two to thirteen
entries, depending on the length of its name, so you can fill it up
surprisingly quickly.

 

[clintonG]

Yes, thank you -- all -- for your comments. I must give you all more
detail...

XP Pro SP2 NTSF is the machine that can not be accessed when trying to save
Microsoft Word documents from a Windows 98 SE FAT machine. The W98SE dialog
states the file can not be saved because the folder is read-only despite the
fact that I've modifed the properties of the folder on the XP machine and
the dialog confirms stating ("you have chosen to unset read-only" ) but so
far no files can be saved to that folder from the W98SE machine.

So I says, "Hmmm" I have a user on the XP machine named for example ABC and
I even attempted to give ABC full permissions on the XP folder but still can
not save files to her folder on the XP machine. What can this be? I can see
the share from the W98SE machine but can not write to it. The share uses a
drive letter not a UNC path. I can access the W98SE machine from the XP
machine and I can write to the W98Se machine from XP.

BTW -- Tim brings my attention the three state checkbox on the properties
dialog. The XP machine's checkbox displays a green bullet for the read-only
attribute. I do see the actual check mark is checked when attempting to
reset the properties ("you have chosen to unset read-only" ) but again to no
avail. I have no idea what state the bulleted checkbox indicates.


<%= Clinton Gallagher

 

[Bob I]

What user/password combination are you signing in with on the Win98 PC.
Use one that exists on the XP box and all should be working.

 

[clintonG]

Thanks for reply Bob but the Win98 matter has now become mute which is why I
disappeared for several days -- to get a new Compaq Presario with XP Home
installed -- which now I can not figure out how to configure to write to
shares on a 'workgroup' LAN nor can the other machines on the LAN write to
the XP Home machine.

 

[Bob I]

XP requires that the USER have permission to access the resources.
Please see Start, Help and Support, Peer to Peer networking.

 

[Guest]

XP Pro will not allow me to change the Read Only property on a folder and
its contents. The setting can be changed but the change reverts back to Read
Only as soon as the dialog is closed. What's up?

<%= Clinton Gallagher

 

[Guest]

System:
Windows XP Home Ver. 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.0408-3-2158 : Service Pack
2) Control Panel indicates I have Administrator rights on this system.
Physical memory available to Windows: 1,048,044 KB
PaperPort Pro 9.0 Office, Ver. 9.0 SP-1 (9.1.0.771)
WinZip 9.0 SR-1 (6224)
Linksys NSLU2 Network Storage Link.
Drive 1: Maxtor OneTouch 120GB USB, formatted by Linksys to a non-Windows
file system, NTFS.
Drive 2: Maxtor OneTouch 250GB USB, formatted by Linksys to a non-Windows
file system, NTFS.

Problem:
For some reason during the night of 3/17/2005 all of the files on my 250GB
Maxtor OneTouch External Drive suddenly had their file properties set to read
only. The properties screens showed the archive block checked but I was
unable to clear it. This all seemed to have happened while running a routine
backup using a batch file program with the WinZip Command Line Support Add-On
1.1. I had run many times before with out encountering this problem. When
using the DOS command prompt to try to remove the check from the file
properties I got an error message"Access denied."

When I tried to remove the check from this attribute using Windows Explorer
the message was "An error occurred applying attributes to the file ......
Access is denied."

These files were not read only prior to the night of 3/17/2005. I used the
WinZip command line settings to create the batch files for the backups and
the zipped backups to Drive 1, 120GB Maxtor OneTouch External Drive. These
appear ok.

I have at no time used the backup option supplied with the NSLU2.

I can see my files on Drive 2 but cannot delete them or access the data in
them and then save them with the changed data. Quicken will not access its
current data files. My email program will not access it's files.

I was able to copy the files I needed to another drive, clear the read only
attributes and access the needed files.

The drive has always been connected to the Linksys Network Storage system.
These files were available for both read and write and the system was been
working in a very satisfactory manner since November 2004. Both Maxtor drives
on the Network Storage were formatted only at the initial installation by
using software supplied with the Network Storage Link.
I had wondered if this was caused by my backup methods. I have been using
the same procedures and batch files in the past with no obvious problems.
My Backup.bat file calls other batch files to zip files in directories on
Disk 2 to a zip file on Disk 1. This creates a large group of zip file on
Disk 1. Should any zip file encounter a problem I don't lose access to the
other files. Repeated runs of Backup.bat updates the zip files previously
created. It does not remove any files from the zipped archive.
Periodically I make a copy of these files on DVDs for off system storage.
Following this I move the zipped files on Disk 1 to a new directory such as
050309BAK. I then rerun the Backup.bat program to make copies of the current
files on Disk 2.
The day before I experienced the problem I had used the previous process..
As this process has moved all of the previously backed up files to a
different directory the program has to zip all of the files again. This takes
a long time. I went to bed while the program ran during the night. It had
finished when I returned to the compute the next morning.
When I tried to open Quicken which stores it's files on network Drive 2, I
received an error message. My email and PIM programs had the same problems. I
opened Paperport 9.0 and all of the programs on Drive 2 appeared. I could
open files view or read them but not write to them, move them, or delete
them.
I later moved them to Disk 1. I selected all and cleared all of the
attributes successfully with Windows Explorer. On Disk I could access them,
write to them, move them, and/or delete them after I had changed the
attributes.

After talking with Linksys there only solution was to copy my files to my
other Maxtor OneTouch 120GB attached to the storage link and then reformat
the 250GB disk. After I upgraded the firmware on the Linksys NSLU2 it
reported 0 files and 0% free. I could still see and access the files from
Windows Explorer.

If this happens again, is there any way to access files on the Maxtor disk
and make the files read/write? Are there any diagnostic programs to work on
network drives in this arrangement?

3/21/2005
I did a new set of backups using the previous program I had used prior to
the problem. It worked. All of the files I have tried to access, read, write
to, and move between drives appear to work as before the problem.

3/22/2005
I had scanned a file into a directory on the computer attached to the
scanner. I then right clicked it, selected Properties and made sure all of
the boxes were unchecked. I then moved it to a directory on a network drive.

When I viewed it on the network drive it was read only. The little yellow
padlock symbol was visible to the left of the title over the thumbnail. I
then right clicked it, selected Properties. All of the boxes were unchecked.
I closed the windows, reopened them and view the file properties. The archive
bit box was checked but not the read only box. The yellow padlock symbol was
visible to the left of the title over the thumbnail.

I then selected the thumbnail, double clicked to open it, windowed and
deleted part of the image, and returned to the Desktop. The changes were
visible as well as the yellow padlock symbol was visible to the left of the
title over the thumbnail. Why is PaperPort letting me edit a read only file?
How do I make this file Read-only?

I selected the file and moved it to the network drive, selected Properties.
Now the read-only block was not checked but the yellow padlock symbol was
visible to the left of the title over the thumbnail indicating it was. Why
the symbol?. I also could not change read-only attribute using Windows
Explorer.

I moved the file back to the drive on my computer. The the yellow padlock
symbol was visible to the left of the title over the thumbnail had gone. The
file was not read only.

Why do the properties change? Why do they behave different on a networked
drive?

Is this a Maxtor OneTouch USB drive problem?

Is this a Linksys NSLU2 Network Storage problem?

Is this a Windows XP Home problem?

Is this a PaperPort Pro 9.0 Office, Ver. 9.0 SP-1 (9.1.0.771) problem?

Is this a WinZip problem?

Do some Windows file system utilities not work or work differently on a NTFS
file system or network drives?