Can't uncheck Read Only in Folder and files


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GerryPeters

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WIN 11 PRO
I've done a lot of google searches with no fix.
I have a Folder on a USB external 4T drive that was originally on a different computer that I still have. It is a folder with many subfolders and 4500 files. The files were encrypted and I got rid of that, but are all Read Only under Properties
I'm logged into Windows 11 with an administrator account to access and modify file permissions.
I have tried the regular things like:

Take Ownership of the Folder
Add Your User Account to the Security List
Grant Permissions: In the Permissions window, select your user account and then check the boxes for the appropriate permissions - ALL THE CHECK BOXES UNDER FULL ARE GRAYED OUT
REGEDIT
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\FileSystem.NtfsDisableEncryption: is set to 0
 

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    WIN 11 PROIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,32 Gigs
    OS
    WIN 11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built - WIN 11 PRO 64-bit ,
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,
    Motherboard
    ACER Z790 motherboard
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    32 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    256 gig M2 SSD boot HD, 3 internal HD's, 2 USB

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    Win 10 PROHaswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,16 Gigs
    Operating System
    Win 10 PRO
    Computer type
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    CUSTOM
    CPU
    Haswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,
    Motherboard
    AsRock Z97 motherboard,
    Memory
    16 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    OS drive 250GB SSD,
Have you tried connecting the drive to the original computer under the user account that created the folder/files, then trying to uncheck the Read Only box?
 

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    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 7 26532GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
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    Windows 11 25H2
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    Intel Core Ultra 7 265
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    Windows 11 25H2
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    Laptop
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    HP
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1334U
    Motherboard
    HP 8DD7 - Intel Alder Lake-P PCH
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Raptor Lake-U - Integrated Graphics
    Hard Drives
    512 GB
GerryPeters said:
The files were encrypted and I got rid of that
Click to expand...
How did you "Get Rid of it"? If it is Bitlocker encrypted? you need to attach it to the old computer and go to Control Panel/BitLocker Drive Encryption and turn off Bitlocker for this drive.
Then Attach it to the other computer and you should be able to access the drive without having to type in the BitLocker key.
 

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Windows 11 Pro Insider 64 bit 25H2 26200.5742
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Intel Core i7 9700K 3.60
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Backlit Cyberpower gaming mouse
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1 GB mbps
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Brave
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Windows Security
I moved it to the computer the folder was on earlier. I tried all the steps in my first post on this computer. Still can't uncheck read only. I checked Bitlocker encrypted and its off for all HD's.

This is baffling. Actually, the work on this folder was done on a 3rd computer which died
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    WIN 11 PROIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,32 Gigs
    OS
    WIN 11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built - WIN 11 PRO 64-bit ,
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,
    Motherboard
    ACER Z790 motherboard
    Memory
    32 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    256 gig M2 SSD boot HD, 3 internal HD's, 2 USB

  • At a glance

    Win 10 PROHaswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,16 Gigs
    Operating System
    Win 10 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM
    CPU
    Haswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,
    Motherboard
    AsRock Z97 motherboard,
    Memory
    16 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    OS drive 250GB SSD,

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core Ultra 7 26532GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
    OS
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Tower Plus EBT2250
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 265
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Dell U2419H
    Hard Drives
    NVMe Phison 521GB SSD
    Seagate 2TB HDD
    (Dell installed them RAID enabled using Intel VMD)

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 25H2Intel Core i5-1334U8 GBIntel Raptor Lake-U - Integrated Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1334U
    Motherboard
    HP 8DD7 - Intel Alder Lake-P PCH
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Raptor Lake-U - Integrated Graphics
    Hard Drives
    512 GB
I tried option 6 and it still didn't work, even on the first folder, yet many files are fixed
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    WIN 11 PROIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,32 Gigs
    OS
    WIN 11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built - WIN 11 PRO 64-bit ,
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,
    Motherboard
    ACER Z790 motherboard
    Memory
    32 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    256 gig M2 SSD boot HD, 3 internal HD's, 2 USB

  • At a glance

    Win 10 PROHaswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,16 Gigs
    Operating System
    Win 10 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM
    CPU
    Haswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,
    Motherboard
    AsRock Z97 motherboard,
    Memory
    16 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    OS drive 250GB SSD,
GerryPeters said:
I tried option 6 and it still didn't work, even on the first folder, yet many files are fixed
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the folder property item labelled "Read only (only applies to files in folder)"? If so, that item has absolutely nothing to do with whether a folder is read only or not.

Can you create a file or folder in any of those folders? If so, then your folder is not read only and there's no problem. If you can't, then we'll need to look deeper at permissions if it's an NTFS volume or some other explanation if it's not.
 

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Windows 10/11
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Windows 10/11
Computer type
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Manufacturer/Model
Acer
Just make sure you change the owner to the Administrators group for the folder, the subfolders and all files, not only for the specific folder. If this folder is inside a parent folder, then you must take ownership of the parent folder as well. Then make sure you grand full access to the Administrators group for the folder, subfolder and all files. This should work.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8875)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8875)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8875)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8875)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4

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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8875i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8875
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    Dell Optiplex 7080
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    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
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    Benq 27
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    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
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    Defender+MWB Premium

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    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8875AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8875
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8875
I finally got it done by moving the USB HD to both computers and unchecking Read only in the parent folder. It took a few times to get it to cooperate and the folders still have Read Only checked, but the files are unchecked. So that solves this issue for me. I also found out that many files were still encrypted. I had to use the Cipher command on both computers to fix this
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    WIN 11 PROIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,32 Gigs
    OS
    WIN 11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built - WIN 11 PRO 64-bit ,
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,
    Motherboard
    ACER Z790 motherboard
    Memory
    32 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    256 gig M2 SSD boot HD, 3 internal HD's, 2 USB

  • At a glance

    Win 10 PROHaswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,16 Gigs
    Operating System
    Win 10 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM
    CPU
    Haswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,
    Motherboard
    AsRock Z97 motherboard,
    Memory
    16 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    OS drive 250GB SSD,
i finally got the folder and subfolders fixed from the read only check mark and the encrypted check mark. It turns out some of the folders were corrupt in some way. PowerShell and Command prompt couldn't go to them so I could perform Cipher and that's why the unchecked read-only wasn't affecting all the subfolders.

The fix was to create a new folder and copy all the files in the corrupt folder to that one. I was able to then decrypt them since Powershell could find the folder in Powersheell. These corrupt folders explain why it was so hard to uncheck the read only, because some subfolders were corrupt.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    WIN 11 PROIntel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,32 Gigs
    OS
    WIN 11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built - WIN 11 PRO 64-bit ,
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-14400 2.50 Ghz,
    Motherboard
    ACER Z790 motherboard
    Memory
    32 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    256 gig M2 SSD boot HD, 3 internal HD's, 2 USB

  • At a glance

    Win 10 PROHaswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,16 Gigs
    Operating System
    Win 10 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    CUSTOM
    CPU
    Haswell CPU 4790k @ 4.4GHz,
    Motherboard
    AsRock Z97 motherboard,
    Memory
    16 Gigs
    Hard Drives
    OS drive 250GB SSD,
I can relate. Once I had an external USB hard disk that wasn't removed properly and some files were corrupted. Thankfully they were not important, but I couldn't delete them to free space.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8875)Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz4GBMobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (5699), 25H2 (8875)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8875)Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generat...2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB...
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v25H2 (build 26200.8875)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3050 WINDFORCE OC V2 6GB (GV-N3050WF2OCV2-6GD)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
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