Windows XP: resetting sharing permissions for a file to those of the directory it is contained in

Question

Followup question for my previous one:

So I have a directory \etc\install\foo that allows file sharing.

I have a file NEW.zip from an unshared location that I moved into \etc\install\foo, and therefore NEW.zip does not inherit permissions from \etc\install\foo.

Is there an easy way to reset the permissions for NEW.zip so that it does inherit permissions from its containing directory \etc\install\foo ?

(without manually trying to match permissions, which is a pain, and without copying the file, which is problematic for very large files, hence the whole reason it was moved and not copied to its present location)

Answer 1

1. Open the file's Properties - Security tab and click on Advanced

2. Look for a checkbox "Inherit from parent the permission entries..."

3. If "Inherit" is already enabled, disable it and choose Remove when prompted.

4. Remove all permission entries from the list.

5. Enable "Inherit" again.

6. Click OK to close both windows.

If the current ACL disallows further ACL modifications, you can override it by taking ownership of the file. (The owner can always modify ACLs.) If Windows doesn't prompt you automatically, you can take ownership from Advanced - Owner; you must be an administrator to do so.