HoppaLong Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 XP Pro_SP3 An ancient glitch with XP has never been a problem, until I tried a portable app called File ExtensionChanger on a USB flash drive. Read-only is automatically ticked in all XP folders. There are thousands of posts and blogs about this subject. Here is an old Neowin post explaining why all XP folders are created with a read-only attribute. https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/647556-read-only-unchecking-bugged/ File Extension Changer displays an error message (see attached image) because every folder appears to be write-protected. We all know that a read-only folder attribute is usually meaningless in XP. The solution would be simple if unticking read-only worked. It doesn't. Is there a workaround for this problem, or should I abandon File Extension Changer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 No, the issue is that (as explained on the thread you posted a link to), the "read only" tick is not a "read only" tick (when it comes to directories). It is not "news", it is like 16 (sixteen) years or more that it behaves like that and IF it was a problem no program would have been able to write or rename any file in the last 16 years or so. The file extension changer (if it doesn't work and if it doesn't work because of that) could be badly written. (or maybe - since you mentioned a "portable app" it has been modified to be made portable in such a way that it doesn't work anymore), BUT it is improbable that the reason why it doesn't work for you is that "read only" tick, as if it is that, it would have not worked for anyone, ever, but of course it is possible. Get yourself another program that actually works, there should be tens of them. OR provide a link to the program, so that someone can check if it works. jaclaz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppaLong Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 Yes jaclaz, I said it was an "ancient glitch" in the first sentence of my post. Many years ago it was clearly understood that all folders in XP "appeared" to have a read-only tick, but it should be completely ignored. It effected nothing. If you google this subject you'll find countless old posts, because that tick scared a lot of people. They actually dumped and reinstalled their systems over and over, trying to make this harmless glitch go away! I downloaded the portable version of File Extension Changer from Softpedia: http://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/System/File-management/Windows-Portable-Applications-File-Extension-Changer-Portable.shtml I wish this app had worked. It's suppose to create batch files that REDO and UNDO the extension changes. I know there are many similar apps, but this one had the options I needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaclaz Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) The home page of the program is now here (softpedia has the old geocities address) : http://myfreewares.weebly.com/file-extension-changer.html It seems like it has been used (and tested) for years, so I find it improbable that it suffers from the issue you think is caused by the folder read only tick. But at first sight it is actually poorly coded. Namely an error message should always be specific and actually tell you what the issue is. I cannot add a file via Add Files button (ActiveX error) and - depending on the settings - I can have your same error or a success message (whilst it did NOTHING OR it actually changed the extension). With the installed version it *somehow* works[1]. You need in the SAME directory where the "File Extension Changer.exe" is the following sub-directories: Backup Logs Redo If you have not them (and you select the features Backup and/or Log and/or Redo) the thingy will throw that error. With those directories in place even the Portable version works. jaclaz [1] but there is NO connection whatever with the "read only" directory tick, now, for no apparent reason: https://www.exploratorium.edu/brain_explorer/images/jumping2.gif Edited July 24, 2017 by jaclaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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