File backup on CD-R

I am running 98SE and need to reformat the hard drive. I have copied many of
the files and folders off onto CD disks. After formatting and then copying
the files back to the reformatted hard drive, they ALL show read-only attr
ibutes. Some files need to be open for writing while others should, for
safety, remain read-only.

1. How do I tell which attribute a file should have?
2. Is there any easier method to change the attributes than going through
several thousands of files and changing them one at a time?

You can select all files in a folder (Ctrl+A) and then right-click (or use
File / Properties) and change the whole folder at once.

If you did this in (say) Windows then you could select all EXEs and DLLs by
searching on filename and folder, select all in the search Window, and
change their properties back to read only. This would actually be overkill,
but it would catch the obvious files. However, there's no simple way to
identify the files for which read-only is important. OTOH, this setting
isn't (or shouldn't be) critical to proper operation of the system - it's
simply a protection against accidental deletion.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"dutch711" wrote in message
...
I am running 98SE and need to reformat the hard drive. I have copied many
of
the files and folders off onto CD disks. After formatting and then copying
the files back to the reformatted hard drive, they ALL show read-only attr
ibutes. Some files need to be open for writing while others should, for
safety, remain read-only.

1. How do I tell which attribute a file should have?
2. Is there any easier method to change the attributes than going through
several thousands of files and changing them one at a time?

dutch711 wrote:
I am running 98SE and need to reformat the hard drive. I have copied many of
the files and folders off onto CD disks. After formatting and then copying
the files back to the reformatted hard drive, they ALL show read-only attr
ibutes. Some files need to be open for writing while others should, for
safety, remain read-only.

1. How do I tell which attribute a file should have?

On a CD all files have attribute = Read Only.
Your PC knows that you cannot (usually) write
another version of the file to the CD.

2. Is there any easier method to change the attributes than going through
several thousands of files and changing them one at a time?

Depending on your PC browser, select all and
change attributes at one stroke. PowerDesk
does this more easily than EXPLORE = My Computer.