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
    2017-04-07T06:54:52+00:00

    I get this all the time.

    Microsoft file system design is a big pile of ****.

    If I click the button to say "I don't want this folder to be read only" then "I don't want the folder to be read only"

    What other possible reason would I have for clicking the button?

    For some reason Microsoft has come up with the idea that I am clicking the button to exercise my finger and don't actually want to do anything.

    This worked in DOS 20 years ago but now it does not work in Windows.

    Unfortunately we are stuck with this crap because all the other multi-billion dollar software companies can't make an OS that is better than Windows.

    No doubt the Apple fan club will disagree but you can't even remove the chess program from their bigger steaming pile of crap.

    Hmm if you drag it to the trashcan delete it. 

    And I have been using Windows since DOS 3.1 up to Windows 10, and Apple OS X since it came out.

    Some things in Windows are better some things in OS X are better. 

    One thing does stand out in my book long term....OS X is 75% more stable and much less buggy than Windows 7 to 10

    Also Windows 10 can not keep clock  time to save it's own life for some reason is always wrong.

    The READ ONLY bug is stupid beyond compare for a bug, Microsoft has created a USER HOSTILE OS!

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-04-06T16:58:33+00:00

    LOL - my thoughts exactly. I think that's why most of the changes for each OS is focused mainly on the GUI. MS has realized their only option is to slap more make-up on their OS pig.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-04-06T16:02:16+00:00

    I get this all the time.

    Microsoft file system design is a big pile of ****.

    If I click the button to say "I don't want this folder to be read only" then "I don't want the folder to be read only"

    What other possible reason would I have for clicking the button?

    For some reason Microsoft has come up with the idea that I am clicking the button to exercise my finger and don't actually want to do anything.

    This worked in DOS 20 years ago but now it does not work in Windows.

    Unfortunately we are stuck with this crap because all the other multi-billion dollar software companies can't make an OS that is better than Windows.

    No doubt the Apple fan club will disagree but you can't even remove the chess program from their bigger steaming pile of crap.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-01-28T00:08:08+00:00

    This didn't change anything, in my case. In fact, unchecking "inherit perms from parent object" and resetting the permissions all had zero effect on removing the read-only permissions on my directory.

    This is an unbelievably stupid design flaw and designating it as "by design" is yet another great example "drinking the MS Kool-Aid" that so exasperates users.

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