Cannot change READ ONLY file attributes using Administrator Account

Anonymous
2009-10-31T21:41:55+00:00

I have tried windows explorer and a custom program called Directory Opus. I have tried creating several administrator accounts but no luck.

I cannot work with this problem existing.

I need a solution.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2010-02-27T20:39:32+00:00

I have the exact same issue.  Following the steps above did not work, the folder/subfolders remain Read-Only.  I am the owner of the folder and subfolders.  I'm not even sure how they became Read-Only to begin with.  Setting Read-Only on individual files works properly.  Changing folder settings does not.

***IMPORTANT EDIT:

According to a Microsoft Knowledge Base post:

You cannot view or change the Read-only or the System attributes of folders

To summarize, Windows ignores System or Read-Only settings on folders (it does not ignore those properties on FILES however).  Individual applications that you are running may not ignore the Read-Only status on a folder and may give an error.  In my situation, an application was attempting to create a new file in a folder that was marked as Read-Only and it honored the RO setting and refused to try to create the new file.

To actually change these attributes, the Properties menu will not work.  From the KB source:

  • If you click Apply changes to this folder only , the Read-only attribute is changed for all the files in the folder. However, the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder, its subfolders, or any files in its subfolders. If you click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files , the Read-only attribute is changed for all files in the folder and all files in the subfolders. However, the Read-only attribute is not changed for the folder or its subfolders.

In order to change these properties, the user must launch a command line terminal and execute the changes by hand, such as this command:

  • attrib -r +s c:\test

...which will remove the READ-ONLY setting and apply the SYSTEM setting to the folder.  Once again, changing properties of files (including files in subfolders) works as expected with the right-click Properties -> Security menu.

Knowledge Base source:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326549

Bad support, MS.

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-12-07T15:46:26+00:00

    I have tried windows explorer and a custom program called Directory Opus. I have tried creating several administrator accounts but no luck.

    I cannot work with this problem existing.

    I need a solution.

    I have seen no indication of Microsoft addressing this problem, but haven't looked at it for a month or two.

    The issue arises from third party tools, like mysql, that need to create a temporary or permanent file somewhere, for example in C:\temp.  Their file open operation demands a create/write access for such a file, and with any file marked 'readonly', this is blocked, and that kills any program using mysql.

    In the meantime, this works for me:

    • Disable the readonly attribute for the file or folder your tool intends to use through the file attributes window, as you usually might.
    • but - do NOT close that window.  Just keep it open.
    • If you close the file attributes window, the file/folder seems to retain the ~readonly attribute for a while, but then eventually some other Windows task resets it to readonly.  I have not tried to figure out which task does this, there could be several calling a hidden file attributes function in an effort to 'protect' the file system.

    I speculate that this problem arose from the efforts made to protect Windows 10 against hackers, which of course is laudable.

    Should I ask the obvious question of if you make your OS USER HOSTILE who cares if it is more secure?

    What good is security if you spend more time fixing the OS and File System then using another OS?

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-11-03T02:31:51+00:00

    I am an administrator on my own windows 10 home computer. I have worked as a system admin (a while back) and written considerable software for windows.

    I am trying to remove the read-only file attributes for all the files in the following folder and subfolders, due to a failing Itunes UPDATE.

    C:\Programs Files\Itunes\

    None of the suggestions above has worked, either from Explorer or from an Admin-elevated command prompt using ATTRIB.

    While I GUESS that the read-only problems is the source of my problem, further research indicates that I have cleared the attributes of every file in this path (and subfolders)--verified by 

    attrib *.* /s > attriblst.txt       And sording in Excel.

    HOWEVER, the itunes FOLDER continues to have a READ-ONLY attribute--I could NOT save my XLS file THERE!

    Using ATTRIB to change the permissions on the Itunes folder did not solve this problem--even though it executed without error from it's parent.

    How about a workable solution?  

    I get it that W10 home is a crippled implementation?  Could I really fix this behavior if I upgraded to Windows 10 Pro?

    LMA Durham Nc

    It's not only happening with Windows 10 but I suspect with all MicroSh*t OSes that are or have been updated.

    I've looked over many files on my HD after having failed in updating some programs on my PC.

    I looked at the file atts and of course, the Read Only was ticked. I then went to other random folders and files to find that they too had been read only ticked. 

    I then tried to untick them, which did not work. I then went to my permissions and gave myself full control-still no cookie. 

    I don't know what slipped under their radar but it would appreciated if they could fix their garbage coding.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-04-02T15:05:17+00:00

    I have the same problem, I am trying to change genre on some avi files I created. I cannot for the life of me change the readonly on any folder.

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