Applications folder is read only

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Applications folder is read only

Help me please before I have a meltdown. I don't know how it happened or when it happened, but my applications folder is read-only all of a sudden. I have to authenticate to move anything in or out of it. I have tried everything I can think of - repair permissions, repair disk, disk warrior 4.1.1, drive genius, tech tool pro 5, all of these from the startup disk and from a booted usb installation of Leopard with all the latest update. This is extremely frustrating that I can't fix it. Tell me if you need any logs or other info. I am not experienced with the terminal, but I did try a few commands that were supposed to fix this (google "applications folder is read only" and the article from 2005 is the one I used. It didn't work at all.
I do have time machine backups, but I don't see a way to look at the applications folder in those to see if it is read only. This would have happened within a week ago to the present.

Message was edited by: wildfire305

Macbook Unibody, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 28, 2009 1:09 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 28, 2009 1:14 PM in response to wildfire305

HI and Welcome to Apple Discussions...

Right or Control click the Applications folder. Then click Get Info. At the bottom of that window click the gold padlock icon. You will be prompted for your admin password. Click where you see Admin and select Read & Write. Close the Get Info window and restart your MacBook.

Carolyn 🙂

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Answer 2

wildfire305 Author

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Jun 28, 2009 1:24 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

That was the first thing I tried - no go. I just tried it again and it still didn't work. System, admin, and everyone are the only users in the list and they are all set to read & write. Originally I did change everyone to read and write it was originally set to read only.

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Answer 3

Jun 28, 2009 2:56 PM in response to wildfire305

OK..

If it were me, I'd back up my data and do an Archie and Install. Have you tried that yet?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545

I don't think a Time Machine back up would help this. You might even consider doing a complete erase and reinstall. Make sure your important files are backed up first.

I wish I had more to offer in the way of trouble shooting but you've done a superb job already.

🙂

Message was edited by: Carolyn Samit

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Answer 4

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Jun 28, 2009 3:49 PM in response to wildfire305

Permissions on the Applications folder should not be hard to fix. a little more info is needed.
first, did you tinker with them in *any way* ? are you using an admin account?
select the Applications folder in Finder and enter command+i. in the resulting popup read off the permissions in the permissions section at the bottom. what are they?

Message was edited by: V.K.

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Answer 5

wildfire305 Author

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Jun 28, 2009 3:59 PM in response to V.K.

Ew the archive and install is not what I want to do. That is taking the easy way out for me, now it is personal to fix it and bend the computer to my will.
I had never looked at the applications folder for the four months the computer has existed.
The permissions from the info windows are:
system: read & write
admin: read & write
everyone: read & write - This is the one i changed AFTER I realized the folder was read only, it was read only. didn't work
I added myself to the group and made it read & write. - didn't work
The way I know it is read only is the icon in the bottom left corner of a finder window when i click on applications is a pencil with a line through it. And it asks me to authenticate when I want to copy in anything into the folder. All of the applications say that i have custom access when i get info on them.

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Answer 6

wildfire305 Author

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Jun 28, 2009 4:02 PM in response to V.K.

Ew the archive and install is not what I want to do. That is taking the easy way out for me, now it is personal to fix it and bend the computer to my will.
I had never looked at the applications folder for the four months the computer has existed.
The permissions from the info windows are:
system: read & write
admin: read & write
everyone: read & write - This is the one i changed AFTER I realized the folder was read only, it was read only. didn't work
I added myself to the group and made it read & write. - didn't work
The way I know it is read only is the icon in the bottom left corner of a finder window when i click on applications is a pencil with a line through it. And it asks me to authenticate when I want to copy in anything into the folder. All of the applications say that i have custom access when i get info on them.

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Answer 7

wildfire305 Author

Level 1

0 points

Jun 28, 2009 4:02 PM in response to V.K.

Ew the archive and install is not what I want to do. That is taking the easy way out for me, now it is personal to fix it and bend the computer to my will.
I had never looked at the applications folder for the four months the computer has existed.
The permissions from the info windows are:
system: read & write
admin: read & write
everyone: read & write - This is the one i changed AFTER I realized the folder was read only, it was read only. didn't work
I added myself to the group and made it read & write. - didn't work
The way I know it is read only is the icon in the bottom left corner of a finder window when i click on applications is a pencil with a line through it. And it asks me to authenticate when I want to copy in anything into the folder. All of the applications say that i have custom access when i get info on them.

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Answer 8

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Jun 28, 2009 4:16 PM in response to wildfire305

run the following terminal commands (copy and paste please)

sudo chflags -R 0 /Applications

sudo chown -R root:admin /Applications

sudo chmod -RN /Applications

sudo chmod +a "everyone deny delete" /Applications /Applications/Utilities

you'll have to enter your admin password after the first command (which you won't see). that's normal. see if you can copy things into the Applications folder now.

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