How can I open a file as read-only from Windows Explorer?

Question

Is there an easy way to open a file as read-only from Windows Explorer?

My inmediate interest is in a Microsoft Access file. I am doing some sanity checks in old MS Access databases and I see that their date is automatically updated when I open them. I don't like this, since it will look like all the old files have been modified today.

I am working with Windows XP.

Update: As Yoda said, "Do, or do not. There is no try." In my case, it was "do not". I ended up copying the entire (big) folder tree to MyDocuments, and then opening all the databases from there.

Answer 1

Open Windows Explorer.

Choose Folder Options from the View menu. (In some versions of Windows you choose Options from the View menu.) Windows displays the Folder Options (or just plain Options) dialog box.

Make sure the File Types tab is selected. (Click here to see a related figure.) In the list of Registered File Types, locate and select Microsoft Word Document. Click on the Edit button. Windows displays the Edit File Type dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)

Select the Open option in the Actions list.

Click on Edit. The Editing Action dialog box appears, and the contents of the Application Used to Perform Action box should be selected. (Click here to see a related figure.)

Press CTRL+C. This copies the contents of the Application Used to Perform Action box.

Click on Cancel.

Click the New button. Windows displays the New Action dialog box.

In the Action box, enter the name you want to appear in the shortcut menu. For instance, you could type Open Read-Only.

Position the insertion point in the Application Used to Perform Action box and press CTRL+V. The information you copied in step 8 is pasted into the box.

Select the Use DDE check box. The New Action dialog box expands.

In the DDE Message box, enter the following text: [FileOpen ("""%1"""),.ReadOnly]

In the Application box, enter this single word: WinWord.

In the Topic box, enter this single word: System.

Click Close or OK as necessary to dismiss all the dialog boxes.

Answer 2

Found read-only option in program, did the following, but apparently did something wrong. Please let me know if you can correct.

In Windows xp, Explorer 8 -Selected Tools -Folder Options -File types tab -Selected Microsoft Word Document -Clicked on Advanced [Edit File Type box came up] -In Actions box selected open as read-only -Clicked OK -Clicked Edit

• Box entitled "Editing Action for Type Microsoft Word Docu . . . contained following information:

  Action: Open as Read-Only

  Application used to perform action: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\WINWORD.EXE" /h /n /dde

  DDE message: [AppShow][REM _DDE_ReadWriteOnSave][FileOpen .Name="%1",.Revert=0]

  Application: WinWord

  DDE application Not Running: [blank]

  Topic: System

-Clicked OK all the way through.

-Went to Explorer and right-clicked on a Word document, the read-only option was now in the menu, clicked on it with the following results:

Error
The command cannot be opened because a dialog box is open.  Click OK, and then close the dialog boxes to continue.

Clicked ok

Got second error
    Word experienced an error trying to open the file.
    Try these suggestions.
        *Check the file permissions for the document or drive.
        *Make sure there is sufficient memory or disk space.
        *Open the file with the text recovery converter.
        (F:\24th)

-Clicked Show Help

The file you tried to open was not found. It may be missing, in a different location, locked by another application, or unavailable due to file permissions. If you are sure the file exists but you cannot locate it using the Word File Open dialog, start Microsoft Windows Explorer and perform a search. If the search dialog returns a listing of your file, double-click on it to open it. If the file does not open, it is either corrupt, locked by another application, or is protected by file permissions.

-Clicked OK
-Filed opened, but not as read-only.

-Tried another document, and this one opened immediately, but not as read-only.