Can’t change the READ-ONLY attribute?
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I recently discovered that every folder on every partition of my hard drive (I have drives C: thru H:) was marked read-only. The files within the folders were still marked read/write, so the only real problem this caused was when I tried to drag-n-drop a folder onto a CD-RW disk. Windows would merrily create the new folder - copying the original folder’s read-only attribute - then refuse to write anything in the folder because it was read-only. Right-clicking and selecting ‘properties’ brings up a dialog that contains a chekbox to clear or set the read-only flag, but I changed this about 6 times and every time, it either didn’t change or managed to change back instantly.
Checking google, I eventually ran into this article which explains that Windows doesn’t use the read-only flag on folders to determine read-only status. Instead, it uses that flag to indicate whether a folder has been customized.
From Micro$loth’s support page on the subject:
Status
This behavior is by design
HOW DUMB IS THAT!?
The read-only and system attributes date back to the earliest incarnation of MS-DOS - which Microsoft released - and now Microsoft Windows XP comes along and says, “Well, it might say ‘read-only’, but that’s not what it is”.
Throw in the fact that I haven’t customized any folders, much less all folders, and you begin to understand my frustration.
For the record, I’ve tried the workaround given on that page and it had no effect whatsoever. I’ve also tried using cut&paste to move a folder instead of drag&drop, but I don’t seem to have had any luck with that either.
I wish Microsoft would come up with something that worked right and then LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE! This wasn’t a problem back when I was using Win98…”but this is Newer and Better… It just hasn’t had all the bugs worked out.”
THE OLD ONE WORKED FINE AND DIDN’T HAVE ALL THE NEW PROBLEMS!! Here’s an idea for Microsoft’s development team: Why not Find and FIX all the bugs
B E F O R E
releasing software to the public?
Too bad that switching to Linux isn’t really an option for me right now.
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