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I installed Windows 7 this morning, then installed VC++ 2008 Express again. Now I want to install a dependency walker in its installation folder. But suprise suprise, the folder is marked read-only. Using Windows Explorer to change permissions does nothing. Yes, my account is set up as Administrator (already checked that). I recall a similar problem years ago with XP but don't recall how to fix the problem.

Edited by Ancient Dragon because: n/a
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A few clarifying points that add to the thread: ’s report that ownership solved the problem matches the usual root cause — the Explorer “Read‑only” checkbox on a folder is misleading and is not the same as NTFS ACLs. Explorer often cannot change ACLs if the folder is owned by SYSTEM/TrustedInstaller (or if the process isn’t elevated). ’s pointer to Microsoft guidance is on the right track. The practical approach is to confirm the ACL/owner, take ownership from an elevated context, then set the needed permissions.

Check current ACLs and perform ownership + permission changes from an elevated command prompt (Start → type cmd → right‑click → Run as administrator). Common commands that work on Windows 7:

icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder"

takeown /F "C:\Path\To\Folder" /R /D Y

icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /grant %USERNAME%:F /T

As an alternative to assign ownership to the Administrators group:

takeown /F "C:\Path\To\Folder" /A /R /D Y
icacls "C:\Path\To\Folder" /grant Administrators:F /T

GUI method: Properties → Security → Advanced → Owner → Edit → select the account or Administrators, check “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects,” and apply.

Cautions and troubleshooting: changing ownership or granting full control on Windows or Program Files folders can reduce system protection; prefer running installers elevated or installing user‑level tools into a per‑user folder. If a folder remains locked, check for open handles (Resource Monitor or Sysinternals Process Explorer), temporarily disable antivirus that may hold files, or boot Safe Mode to change ownership. If the visible folder read‑only bit persists but ACLs allow writes, the attribute is cosmetic; to remove it (not usually necessary) use:

attrib -r "C:\Path\To\Folder" /S /D

Thanks to for confirming the ownership fix and to for the Microsoft reference. These checks and commands cover the common causes and safe remediation steps.

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I finally found the solution -- I just had to change the ownership from SYSTEM to myself (Administrator).

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