Why can’t I change files stuck in Read-only mode?

Q. I recently bought a new Toshiba laptop with Win10 Home installed. It has a ton of memory and HD space. However, I can’t remove the Read-only attribute from some files.

I select a Folder’s Properties option, uncheck the Read-only box, and then click OK. Windows asks whether I want to remove the attribute just for the folder or all files within the folder. I select all subfolders and files. Windows seems to complete the change, but when I check again, the files are still marked as read-only — the Read-only box is checked. Any suggestions?

​A. It sounds like something else has logical ownership of the files and is overriding your changes.

​There are some Registry hacks that add a convenient Take ownership option to File Explorer’s right-click context menus (see Figure 1). If you have a lot of ownership problems, adding such a hack can save time.

​Figure 1. A Registry hack adds the Take Ownership option to File Explorer's context menus.

​You’ll find numerous examples of that Registry hack, including:

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