What does a folder icon with a padlock on it mean?

[gregew]

I've been seeing almost all my folders' icons with little padlocks superimposed on them. Although very tiny, I'll try to upload a jpg attachment of one of them.
Could it indicate a problem with Permissions, or Sharing, or some other restriction? I can get into the folders and their subfolders and files, but I really would like to know whether it's xplorer2 that's creating the icon, or it's coming from somewhere else. I couldn't find any answer in either the Manual or a search of these Forums.

Thanks in advance...
Greg

[Kilmatead]

It is indeed related to sharing and privileges, specifically if you've ever revoked a shared item (even if it was never "really shared", just that it had open permissions by default) and you for whatever reason set it to private (your account only).

These icon-overlays (as they are called) are not created by x2, they come from and are applied by the Windows shell itself. You can still access the items because it's sort of a "reverse lock", a bothersome way of notifying you that such items are actually not shared.

See this for more information and instructions for correcting the permissions (or just guillotining the icon overlay outright, if you find the other method too meticulous).

[nikos]

I've seen this thing myself in older hard discs originally used with other windows. It looks like a hiccup of the sharing system. If you don't want to see icon overlays you can deactivate them from TOOLS >OPTIONS menu, ADVANCED page

[Kilmatead]

Except that disables all icon overlays (even "good" ones), so it's kind of a baby-and-bathwater thing... where's the fun in that?

This is not really a glitch in the permissions system - it can happen accidentally simply by switching indexing allowances, circumventing UAC to manipulate services or allowing (or disallowing) another process access to the VSS, etc - all perfectly normal workaday activities. It does serve a purpose ("locked" does not always mean what people assume it means) - it's just that nobody likes that purpose. Like skunks. Skunks were designed by nature to have a decent defence system, and it's quite effective. Just not so much fun for us humans who mess with things we shouldn't.

[nikos]

disabling overlays still allows you to see some basic types, e.g. links/shortcuts

[Kilmatead]

But not custom types, such as shell extensions (Dropbox, LSE, etc), which are the only useful ones, and can seriously confuse people when they all suddenly vanish. (Besides, those silly little link-arrows are the ones that people usually want to get rid of anyway, not actually keep!)

[nikos]

eh, obviously SOME overlays have to be disabled or what disability that would be otherwise?
some of these custom overlays can really screw up icons altogether, ask anybody who uses sugarsync (whatever this is) to tell you!

[gregew]

Thanks, folks, for this incredibly useful thread!
As one who probably accidentally and unknowingly created the problem (globally to every stinkin' folder on my computer!) in the first place, I now have enough new information to make an attempt to sort out my continuing confusion over networking, permissions, sharing, etc.
I may soon have some time to sit down in a quiet place and read all this more carefully, and maybe try to find a friend who may be more knowledgeable than I in Windows operating systems to tutor me.
BUT that's not to diminish the positive impact you've had on my psyche and sleep cycle.