[jira] [Created] (IO-879) Keep DOS `read-only` flag on `FileUtils.forceDelete` error

["Piotr Karwasz (Jira)" <ji...@apache.org>]

Piotr Karwasz created IO-879:
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             Summary: Keep DOS `read-only` flag on `FileUtils.forceDelete` error
                 Key: IO-879
                 URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/IO-879
             Project: Commons IO
          Issue Type: Bug
            Reporter: Piotr Karwasz


Deleting a file on Windows involves two steps:  
# Clear the DOS {{FILE_ATTRIBUTE_READONLY}} flag.  
# Call the Win32 {{DeleteFile}} function.  

This process is non-atomic and can partially fail. Clearing the flag does *not* guarantee that the user has permission to delete the file, since modern file systems enforce ACLs, not DOS attributes.

*Problem*  
Both {{FileUtils.forceDelete}} and {{PathUtils.delete}} remove the DOS {{read-only}} flag before attempting deletion, but they *do not restore it* if the deletion fails. This leaves the file writable even though the delete did not succeed.

*Why is this relevant?*  
Since JDK 25, {{File.delete}} no longer clears the DOS {{read-only}} flag automatically. Users looking for a drop-in replacement may turn to {{FileUtils.forceDelete}}, so it is important that its behavior is predictable and does not leave the file in a different state on failure.




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