I would like to preserve the attribute of the copied files (to be exactly the same as the source attribute). If I copy a folder with the Archive attribute cleared, the copied directory does not preserve its cleared status and instead has it set.
Please have a look at the settings below...
Have I misinterpreted how to set it correctly?
I know why it happens. As you can see in my settings I would like also to copy the NTFS Data Streams along with the folder. In your application whenever you use Windows API to copy ADS it automatically set the Archive bit (probably a Bug in Windows). So when you copy ADS you need to check before making the copy operation what is the status of the Archive bit and then after the copy operation to set/reset it accordingly. Please try to replicate this issue (you need to have a source folder with some ADS embedded in it to see this problem).