Can a drive be set to read only with XP?

[dakota81]

I'm trying to think of solutions to a problem working with flash memory cards - I have a reader and when I put a secure digital card into the reader, I can read and copy off all the contents, but before accessing each and every file, XP throws up a write protection error that I have to click away, and then the file is transfered. (the lock switch on the card is in the unlocked position)

The card is formatted as FAT16, if that makes any difference. So I was just thinking that maybe if XP can be set to accept that this particular drive is read only, I can transfer the contents without hassle. Or if maybe there is a registry tweak to stop that warning from popping up?

 

[linney]

A Fat16 or 32 file system would be able to take a Read Only attribute for any files on the drive, the folders would not be effected by the property setting of Read Only because XP is different to other previous operating systems.

Cannot Change the Read-Only Attribute of System Folders

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q326549

The answer to your problem may come from contacting the Card Reader's Support people. Are you copying or Moving files off the Card Reader?

Slightly off topic, but I have played around with this program which enables you to format a thumb drive (and more) as NTFS. Whether something like that is of use to you only you will know?

http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/e4m202a.html

 

[dakota81]

I'm a little worried that reformatting the card might make it inaccessable by the camera it is being used with.

I'm going to get a second card to test out further.

I just want to be able to do a straight data copy off the card. But as it is right now, say there are 10 images in the directory, then 10 warning messages pop up saying the media is write protected that I have to click "continue" in order to copy the files. And once XP has figured out those files are read only, then I can copy them again, preview them, pull them up in MS's image preview program, anything without a warning.

So I'm just brainstorming ideas of how I might get around the problem. Maybe there's a way to fool XP into thinking the drive letter as a cdrom?