Some recent Win 10 update has started marking all my folders as read-only. Using File Properties to turn it off doesn't work, it keeps getting turned back on.
Neither DOpus nor Explorer have problems deleting these folders, but I have an in-house tool that sees the RO and balks. Is there some Win10 setting I'm overlooking? How does DOpus overcome this?
You should be able to clear it in Opus via this:
At least assuming your account has access to make the change, and nothing unusual is happening at the filesystem level.
That said, the read-only attribute only really applies to files. On folders, it doesn't have any meaning, at least at the filesystem level. Opus can warn you if it's set when a folder is deleted, but it's just an option and the attribute won't stop a folder from being modified or deleted (unlike a file).
Windows (ab)uses the read-only attribute on folders to flag that they special in some way. This is usually done when they have a custom icon or thumbnail assigned via the Properties dialog, which creates a a hidden desktop.ini file inside the folder with the details. The read-only attribute indicates to Windows that it is worth checking for the desktop.ini file. (So on all the normal folders that don't have the attribute, no time is wasted checking for a file that won't be there.)
That's the usual reason folders end up getting the attribute, at least. Some other tools may use it for other things, and it's also possible to set it explicitly (e.g. Opus's Attributes dialog can set it as well as clear it).
Hi,
I select the folder, try Ctrl-B - Nothing happens.
I right-click and select properties, turn off RO. It seems to work.
I display properties again, RO is still set.
Basically, Windows is forcing the RO status to ON, and anything that tests it before attempting the delete balks. I guess our in-house app is going to have to be altered. This is a recent Windows change, typical MS arrogance.
George
I tried altering the local app to ignore the RO status. It gets by that and gets a "Permission Denied" error on the RMDIR. I performed the "Take Ownnership" kludge for the owing folder, no change. What on earth has MS changed this time?
The Properties dialog is part of the Windows shell and won't set read-only on folders, only on the files inside them. The shell gives special meaning to the attribute on folders, so it also tries to avoid allowing it to be set in other situations.
Try the menu item rather than hotkey, in case it's different in your config or language.
rmdir seems to respect the attribute, which may be a holdover from the MS-DOS days. Not sure.
If you're using DOS commands, attrib "Folder Path" -R will remove the read-only attribute from a folder.