Lock icon appears beside file names
I just recently bought a new computer running Windows 7 and have a Iomega external hard drive attached. Any files that I write to this external drives appear with a lock beside the file icon. I have talked with Iomega and they can not explain why this happens. Is there anyone on this forum who can explain to me why this happens and what does it mean. I can edit/display the files without any problem. Is this a feature of 7 that I don't understand or is there something wrong with the security setup on the Iomega drive??Thanks for any answers to my question.
December 5th, 2009 4:55am

I just recently bought a new computer running Windows 7 and have a Iomega external hard drive attached. Any files that I write to this external drives appear with a lock beside the file icon. I have talked with Iomega and they can not explain why this happens. Is there anyone on this forum who can explain to me why this happens and what does it mean. I can edit/display the files without any problem. Is this a feature of 7 that I don't understand or is there something wrong with the security setup on the Iomega drive??Thanks for any answers to my question. This is not afeature o windows 7.If you have bitlocker enable in the disk you see a lock in the Drive....Tel me EVERY things tha you'v installed.Ricardo Polo "HodracirK"
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December 5th, 2009 6:06am

I agree with Richard. It seems the lock is enabled by some additional application. If you right click the lock, is there any pop-up menu?Does this lock symbol only show with files in this Iomega drive? All all files including those on the local hard disk.Also, if you connect the Iomega drive to another computer, does the problem exist?Microsoft Online Community Support
December 25th, 2009 3:17pm

Lock Icon on Files in Windows 7 When you talk about the Lock Icon on files, you are probably referring to something like this: This is something that I had trouble finding information on as well, but finally found a reasonable answer. I currently use Windows 7 Professional and the Lock Icon appears on some files when I move them around from Desktop to folders on my C Drive (such as C:\Media). Essentially what I found is that the files are not shared outside of the Administrator access (you) so if anyone else logs into the computer and tries to access those files (with the lock icon) they will be prompted by UAC for credentials to continue. This is a general security measure and I'm not entirely sure if it is due to BitLocker or if it is built into Windows 7 (though I am leaning toward the latter). What does this mean for you? Well if you are an administrator on your computer (as the main account often is) then nothing is different for you. You can access those files and move them around however you want. For anyone else who attempts to use your computer without being under your login credentials, they will be prompted to input your credentials before they have access to those files. How to Remove The Lock Icon Let's say that this lock icon is just annoying, or you really have no reason to lock down files and restrict access. In this case, you can Right-Click the files in question and choose Share With . Choosing Nobody from this menu means that only the administrator (you) may read or write these files, essentially locking them for anyone else. There is also the ability to share with Homegroup in either Read Only (view but not edit) or Homegroup (Read/Write) access. The latter is essentially giving full permissions to anyone that uses your computer to read or write that file without credentials. Keep in mind that the additional items on my Right-click menu may not show up for you (AVG, TeraCopy, etc) because these are 3rd party installed programs I use. If you are seeing Lock Icons on items though, then you should see the Share With on your Right-Click Menu As you can see, choosing Nobody will put a lock on that file and choosing either Homegroup option will remove the lock. If you wish to do this for more than just a single file, you can select many files and set Sharing on them, or you can also choose entire folders (in my case C:\Media) whereby anything you put in there will not be locked down. If a file you put in a shared folder is still showing a lock icon, simply right click it and choose the Share With menu to correct that. Keep in mind, if you choose to make files shared with homegroup, they will be accessible to anyone who logs into the computer and anyone who logs into via computer to computer network sharing. In this manner, permissions on files and folders can be set, and now you know what the Lock Icon is all about in Windows 7 :) Hope this helps out!
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January 2nd, 2010 3:35am

Is this option on specific to W7 Ultimate PC's or is it applicable on Enterprise as well?
March 11th, 2010 11:59am

Well done, you have proven that it is possible to go into these forums and get a real answer that actually works. Special kudos for not asking memory, processor speed, drive firmware ver. etc. etc.
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April 11th, 2010 10:26pm

Well done, you have proven that it is possible to go into these forums and get a real answer that actually works. Special kudos for not asking memory, processor speed, drive firmware ver. etc. etc. Kudo's Darian Knight! I agree with Joe Crowe wholeheartedly. Great work!!!!
May 7th, 2010 10:31am

Hello there, I was having the same problem. I am a 17 year old Obsessive Compulsive and Attention Deficit male and lock symbols on my copied files really bug me. Software: Windows 7 Ultimate x86 (32 bit) Teracopy What i noticed was that if I simply cut-paste or drag-drop files around within my hard drive it gives me the lock symbol but copy and pasting does not. :? What I do: I simply cut and paste to my desired location. Then I select the file with lock icon. Copy. Paste. Delete lock icon (Source File). From my understandings it is something to do with permissions and may be specific to my copying program. Please message me if you have an easier solution Many Thanks RainbowKisser
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May 9th, 2011 2:45am

Great answer, very complete. I think it is a Windows 7 feature as I haven't downloaded bitlocker.
May 21st, 2011 8:20pm

THANKS VERY MUCH. I HAD SIMILAR PROBLEM, and your solution worked perfectly to even to share files in the Network.
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July 3rd, 2011 12:48am

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