What Read-Only Means for a Finished Archive
Read-only flags, card switches, and folder habits slow accidental edits. Here is what they do not guarantee.
People set a folder to read-only and feel the archive is locked. The phrase sounds absolute. On a home computer it usually means something softer: a speed bump in front of an ordinary mistake. That speed bump is worth having. It is not a safe, not a backup, and not a promise that no program can change the bytes. Knowing the difference keeps you from skipping the copies you still need.
What the setting usually changes
On common desktop systems, a read-only mark tells software that a person asked not to edit or delete the file in the usual way. Many programs will refuse, or they will ask before saving over it. Some will offer to save a new copy instead, which is exactly the behavior you want for a finished scan or a master photo. The mark is a preference the system is willing to enforce until someone with permission clears it. A double-click and a confident button can clear it. Treat the mark as a reminder that this folder is finished, not as a wall.
A physical switch is a different kind of promise
Some memory cards have a small lock switch. When it is set, the card reader is supposed to refuse writes. That is closer to a real restraint than a checkbox, and it still depends on the reader honoring the switch. It does not copy the card anywhere, and it does not repair a card that is already failing. If you use the switch, move it only when you mean to write, then return it. Leave a note in your archive about which cards are locked, so a later copy session does not turn into a mystery about why nothing will save. Pair the habit with durable formats from choosing archive-friendly file formats, because a locked card full of files nobody can interpret later is only half a plan.
Read-only does not stop every kind of loss
The mark will not stop a drive from failing, a laptop from being stolen, or malware that is allowed to change attributes and then change files. It will not stop you from formatting the disk. It will not keep a second copy fresh. If you rely on it as the preservation plan, you have a label in place of a spare. Use it on the finished folder after you have stored a copy elsewhere. The note beside the folder, in the style of a README for project folders, should say the folder is finished and where the working copies live, so nobody clears the mark just to see what happens.
Apply it to finished work, not to the inbox
A read-only inbox is a trap. People need to add files, and they will clear the mark forever if it blocks ordinary work. Mark the snapshot, the master photos, or the exported minutes after they are complete and copied. Leave incoming folders writable. This distinction also teaches anyone sharing the computer which places are records and which places are still a workshop. If a program must write sidecar files beside a photo in order to save captions, test that behavior on a copy first. A well-meant lock that blocks the tool you use for metadata will be removed and forgotten.
Check that the bump is still there
Settings drift. A restore, a copy onto a different file system, or a helpful cleanup tool can drop the mark without touching the contents. On your monthly look, confirm that the finished folder still refuses a casual save, and confirm that the spare copy still exists. If the mark is gone, put it back and note the date. The value of read-only is repetition. You are training the computer, and yourself, to hesitate before a finished file becomes a working file again.
Frequently asked questions
If the folder is read-only, do I still need another copy? Yes. Read-only reduces some accidents on that copy. Another copy, stored apart, is what you use when the first disk is gone.
Will copying files to a new drive keep them read-only? Do not assume it. Check the finished folder on the new drive. Different devices honor attributes differently, and a copy can arrive writable.
Should I lock the whole archive? Lock the finished parts. Keep a writable place for new files, or you will teach everyone to disable the protection the first time they need to add a scan.