"Access Denied" error message after you restore GPOs from a CD-R backup in Group Policy Management Console

After you use Microsoft Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) to restore Group Policy objects (GPOs) from a CD-R backup, when you try to access GPOs, you receive an error message that is similar to the following:

This problem occurs because, when a file is saved to a CD-R, the read-only file attribute is automatically assigned to the file. When Group Policy object (GPO) is restored to your server from the CD-R, the file retains the read-only file attribute.

To work around this problem, copy the GPO files that you want to restore from the CD-R to a folder on your hard disk, remove the read-only attribute from the GPO files, and then use GPMC to restore GPOs from the folder on your hard disk. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Insert the CD-R disc that contains the backed up GPO files in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive on your Microsoft Windows 2000 Server-based computer.
2. Start Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then in the Folders pane, click the hard disk where you want to copy the GPO files.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
4. Type GPO_Temp, and then press ENTER to name the new folder.
5. Copy the GPO files that you want to restore from the CD-ROM to the GPO_Temp folder.
6. Right-click the GPO_Temp folder, and then click Properties.
7. In the GPO_Temp Properties dialog box, in the Attributes area, click to clear the Read-only check box, and then click Apply.
8. In the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files, and then click OK.
9. In the GPO_Temp Properties dialog box, click OK.
10. Start GPMC, and then restore GPOs from the GPO_Temp folder.

Alternatively, you can use Command Prompt to copy the files and then use the attrib command to remove the read-only attribute from the files. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Insert the CD-R disc that contains the backed up GPO files in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive on your Windows server.
2. Start Command Prompt.
3. Type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
   cd\
   md GPO_Temp
   cd GPO_Temp
   copy CD_Or_DVD_Drive_Letter:\GPO_Files_You_Want_To_Restore_From_Backup
   attrib -R /D /S
4. Start GPMC, and then restore GPOs from the C:\GPO_Temp folder.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Group Policy Management Console.

For additional information about Group Policy Management Console, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

For more information about the attrib command, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: