Changing "Read Only" folder status

I have a PC here and somehow the owner of said PC has made the "Program Files" folder on his XP Home system as a "Read Only" folder. :banghead How and why are questions that shall be lost to the universe. Because "Program Files" is locked as "Read Only" it makes running and installing software almost impossible. Programs already installed cannot update themselves because the updates need to be written to the appropriate folder in "Program Files", but because everything in the folder is locked at "Read Only", no changes can be made. New software can only be installed if I change the default location from "C:\Program Files" to something else. I have right-clicked the folder and unchecked the "Read Only" box. It goes through the process and changing the attributes on all the subfolders too, but when the PC is rebooted, the "Read Only" status returns. I have tried using the attrib command from a command prompt but I get an error about an incorrect parameter. If I remember correctly, I think that there cannot be any spaces in the path or folder name, so attrib C:\Program Files -r errors out because of the space between "Program" and "Files".
:cry
Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Use quotation marks. Try attrib "C:\Programs Files" -r

Also a possibility: Safe Mode as Administrator see if you get a Security tab and can change it from there.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try 'em in a second and report back

UPDATE:
Using quotes works, meaning that the 'incorrect parameter' error is no longer a factor, but now I get an error "C:\Program File - access is denied".
Soooo... I will try it again in Safe Mode and I'll log in as Administrator. In Normal Mode, I'm using a user with full Admin permissions, but since it's the Program Files folder, it may be locked....

Will report my findings!

 

I tried it in Safe Mode, and got no errors. But when I check the Properties via a right click, it still shows the 'Read Only' box checked, and it's greyed out!!!
:banghead :boxing :guns :hammer :mad :cry :tas

 

Do you get a Security tab if you rightclick the folder in Safe Mode? Can you change things from the security tab? [maybe add the normal user's name who has administrative rights and give him full permissions]

If all is greyed out check the permissions on C:\

 

No Security tab in Safe Mode.... right click opens to the General tab and it's the only tab available. I haven't checked for the Security tab in Normal Mode and I can't get back to the PC until tomorrow. I did create a new admin account with full privileges but since it was created on a faulty account, it doesn't seem to help. I'll have to look at it more deeply tomorrow... thanks for your help on this folks!

 

OK... I have come to believe that this was caused by malware. I have since seen this EXACT same issue on THREE more PCs today. A new strain of malware is setting critical system folders to "Read Only". The PC in this thread had Programs Files set. I have seen PCs today that also had Program Files set for Read Only, the temp folders set for read only (which makes doing ANYTHING almost impossible!), and other important folders basically locked out. On a total of 4 PCs that I saw with this today, I had to format 2 of 'em, and the other 2 I was able to clean and change the attributes.

Tonight I will be drinking.... heavily :drink :wine :-D

 

The 1st PC (the one that I started this thread about) had no real protection, just an expired Norton 2005 (yup, 2005, the Add/Remove list said "last used 02/19/06" LOL ). The 2nd PC was more-or-less handled by a co-worker so I don't know what was on it, and the other two had AVG 7.5 (not yet updated to v8, but I don't know if it would matter). I deal with LOTS of malware on a daily basis, and things had become fairly 'run-of-the-mill' since the appearance of the AntiVirus2008/2009/2010 and it's family of mutated variants. But this is new, the changing of system folder attributes. I would assume that some folders simply cannot be changed (like I said.. "I assume") but since the attributes on "Program Files" was changed, this kind of blows my assumption....

(yes, I have started :drink :wine :drink :drink :wine :drink :drink uke )

roflmao