Can't edit some mp3's

So i have a bunch of music, and i want to change the info of some of the files to organize them properly. But for some reason, a few of the folders won't let me edit any details of the .mp3's. I can right click and go into properties, and then details, but whereas usually you can select one of the details and edit it, it just stays editable and i can't click any of them. This only happens with some mp3's though, most of them are okay. I'm running windows 7 here.

have you checked the mp3 file isn't read only ? or the folder the files are in isn't read only ?

Open the mp3 file with VLC media player ... This can be done even when the track is playing ... Right-click on the track, select Information ... Change whatever you want and save it ... Done!

Open the mp3 file with VLC media player ... This can be done even when the track is playing ... Right-click on the track, select Information ... Change whatever you want and save it ... Done!

Never heard of this solution before...i just tried it, and it's all editable in VLC. However, all the info already appears in there as it should be, but then when i go to the actual folder with the tracks, and right click them, the info is still missing..wtf.

Also i just checked, the folder was set to read only for some reason, so i unchecked that and it still didn't make any difference. what. . And now i looked again and for some reason it's set itself to read-only again. I uncheck it and hit apply but as soon as i open the folder properties again, it's read-only again..what the hell is this folder?

Edited by Sunn, 30 April 2012 - 06:49 PM.

Never heard of this solution before...i just tried it, and it's all editable in VLC. However, all the info already appears in there as it should be, but then when i go to the actual folder with the tracks, and right click them, the info is still missing..wtf.

Also i just checked, the folder was set to read only for some reason, so i unchecked that and it still didn't make any difference. what. . And now i looked again and for some reason it's set itself to read-only again. I uncheck it and hit apply but as soon as i open the folder properties again, it's read-only again..what the hell is this folder?

Honestly, I'm too lazy to check right now ... I'll check it tomorrow and letchoo know :D

if you know how to edit your registry and use command prompt i can tell you how to work around it.

Honestly, I'm too lazy to check right now ... I'll check it tomorrow and letchoo know :D

haha alright sounds good

if you know how to edit your registry and use command prompt i can tell you how to work around it.

not sure about the registry but im at least familiar with the command prompt and i like to think im pretty computer literate so if you can explain it i could probably figure it out

if you think you can trust yourself then try it. just make sure you edit the right registry value!

from: Unable to remove Read-Only attribute from folder

Windows Explorer uses the Read-Only attribute to determine whether or not the folder is customized. To work around this behavior, you can configure Windows Explorer to use the System flag instead of the Read-Only flag. To do this, use the following steps.

NOTE: Some programs do not operate correctly with folders that have the System attribute configured.
Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Locate the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer
On the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORD Value, and then type the following registry value name:
UseSystemForSystemFolders
Right-click the new value, and then click Modify.
Type 1, and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.
After you make this change to the registry, you must change the Read-Only attribute for all affected folders by using the attrib command at a command prompt (Command.com or Cmd.exe). Type attrib /? at the command prompt to view the syntax for the attrib command. For example, to change the Read-Only attribute to System for the C:\Test folder, use the following command:
attrib -r +s c:\test

if you think you can trust yourself then try it. just make sure you edit the right registry value!

from: Unable to remove Read-Only attribute from folder

Wise words ... Remember them :smoke:

ah i see. seems pretty straightforward. basically i just have to edit a variable and then assign it to the folder? ill try it tomorrow and see how it goes.

alright well i edited the registry and went ahead to the command prompt. also that link you posted is for older versions of windows so i found the same guide but for windows 7, although the info is basically the same. anyway i followed it out step by step but everytime i try entering the command it just tells me "parameter format not correct". Of course it neglects to tell me how or where it's incorrect, and i've also typed it exactly the way microsoft wants me to.

also the windows 7 guide doesn't mention anything about changing the registry although i already added the one from the first guide, should i remove that or does it really matter?

Edited by Sunn, 01 May 2012 - 07:22 PM.

do you have administrator rights?

yeah i should

I would like to offer a a less complicated remedy; download audacity, copy the song and then save it where you like. Saves all the registry editing nonsense and you can use audacity to rip and edit any song from any where.

yeah but i'll lose quality in the process.

I would like to offer a a less complicated remedy; download audacity, copy the song and then save it where you like. Saves all the registry editing nonsense and you can use audacity to rip and edit any song from any where.

that would take ages, doing every song one by one, and it's a system based issue considering it's not only one folder so that would only be a temporary fix.

sunn, not sure what the problem is but you can always put it on an external hdd and try it on another computer.

and if you really wanted to use the audacity method you wouldn't really lose quality as you can set the bitrate in the settings, but it's a waste of time.