I see you've solved it for now, well done you

Administrator security privileges can cause problems in W7, doing stuff to files you never asked for, tweaking the security settings as Admin can fix a file

Edited By Ady1 on 12/12/2022 01:25:20

Forgive my intrusion please … I am only familiar with earlier versions of ACAD so not qualified to answer the question.

I think, however, that you may find something of relevance here:

**LINK**

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2000-2000i-2002-archive/cannot-save-dwg-file-while-changing-permissions/td-p/147863

MichaelG.

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Edit: __ do a search there ^^^ for ‘file permissions’

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/12/2022 08:57:01

Tug,

I am on my old Windows 7 computer this morning. When the problem first hit me, I did as you did and did the "save-as" routine to save my work. However, when I opened that new file, it too had the same "write-protected" problem.

The use of Folders makes it easy to keep everything organized.

On my Computer I have a Folder "Bruce". In that Folder is a Folder "Locomotives". In that Folder are Folders such as "Juliet", "Netta" and "Allen Mogul". Since I spent 38 years at work designing in CAD programs, I can re-draw a design in CAD as fast as I can peruse the drawings looking for problems plus tabulating coordinates for machining.

Note all the following was done in my "work" Folders. I did not have to do anything in the Folder which has the actual AutoCAD program File. I did not do any special "root directory sub-routines" or any such gobbly-gook.

On Windows 7, you right click in a blank area of the Folder and a Dialog Box opens. If you click on the bottom item "Properties", it opens another Dialog Box. On the TAB "General" at the bottom is "Attributes". There is a Box "Read-only". I clicked that Box to get rid of the Check Mark and then hit OK. A Message will come up asking "Apply changes to the Folder, Sub-Folders and all Files". Click "OK". A few times something came up about Administrator Access – I clicked "Continue".

The above procedure fixed the problem I was having. I had to do the procedure more than once for I don't know why. Everything is back to normal now.

I looked thru the "User Guide" I received with the AutoCAD CD. I found nothing.

By any chance are you trying to SAVE the File back to your Flash Drive (USB Stick) or Attachment to an Email ? I've had that problem in the past – forgot to transfer the Files. I gleefully opened the File directly from the Flash Drive to print, saw a missing Dimension, added it, but couldn't SAVE – "write-protected" ! I do think that Flash Drives act as write-protected. (All Caps to signify AutoCAD Commands).

This may not be a problem AutoCAD can fix. Permissions are tightly controlled by the operating system, and applications like autocad have very limited powers, even if you find the right menu.

I'd try fixing this with FileManager aka Explorer, which is closer to the operating system, and designed to navigate folders. Opening file manager with Windows 10 gets me this screen:

I've ringed folders in blue. Computer files are organised in folders, and folders contain files and/or more folders. Thus files are stored in a tree structure, where the root is the a disc drive typically C: To find a file, the system has to know knows it's full 'address' for example, "C:tempjunkdave.dxf".

You need to find the folder in which AutoCAD drawings are stored. File Manager's lower pane lists 'Recent Files', and the folder path in which they are stored. A new AutoCAD drawing should show up. If so, right-click on the path (blue circle bottom right), and select 'Open File Location' from the pop-up menu.

FileManager should now list all the files (drawings) is that folder. AutoCad drawing files are suffixed DXF or DWG. Right-clicking on one and selecting 'Properties' should open a window like my naval_blank_message_form example:

Clicking on the Security tab shows who has permission to do what to the file. Typically the file has an owner, and the owner can set permissions allowing other users or groups of users to operate on the file. Many different combinations are allowed, Read without Write is common because it protects the file against accidental overwriting. But AutoCAD needs Read and Write Permission.

In the top list, select yourself, 'dave' is me in the example above, look at the permissions set on a file that AutoCAD can't overwrite, and edit the permissions to open them up. (edit button in the window.) If it works, do the same for all the other write protected files.

It's possible you don't own the file and aren't allowed to change permissions. It might be owned by 'autocad'. If so, run FileManager as Administrator, and override the real owner. Be wary. Administrators are nearly all powerful, for that reason called 'super-users' in UNIX-world. Though the extra privileges seem to make life easy, only use Admin powers when the job absolutely requires them. Unfortunately uncontrolled admin power can wreck a system or leave it full of security holes. Ordinary users don't have the power needed to do serious damage, much safer.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 14/12/2022 10:52:36

Tug,

here is some more reading for your spare time –

thecadtutorial,com/autocad/how-to-lock-dwg-file-from-editing

there seems to be a means to lock a dwg file within AutoCAD, This is not mentioned in my 2000 User's Manual.

I tried to cut & paste the full Link but had no success.