FIle share permissions problem in  Windows Server 2003

Thank you.  This worked.  I was reluctant to check the box "Replace permission entries on all child objects ..."  because I did not want to screw anything up.  But that did the trick.

Regarding restricting useres, specifically what settings should I use if I wish  users to be able to add documents and create folders, but not delete any documents or folders?

Thanks much. I will try this tomorrow (late for a meeting now) and provide feedback here.

I am having difficulty executing your recommendations.  Perhaps a detailed description of my file structure and what I could and could not do will help.

Partition F has six folders, one of which is called Old Records.  Within Old Records are about 3,000 individual folders, each of which contains files, mostly pdf and TIFF scans.  It is these individual folders (and their contained files) that I wish to prevent deletion of.

You said: Before allowing users any access ensure at folders below the root that AdministratorS (not administrator) and system have permissions inherited at that folder (greyed out and listed as inherited).

I understood the term "root" to mean partition F and "folders below the root" to mean my folder titled Old Records.  Under Advanced Security Settings for Old Records, AdministratorS and System are both listed as Inheretid from F:\.  I am not exactly certain what "greyed out" means, however under the Security tab of Old Records Properties, the permissions are greyed out. For Administrators, Full Control and Modify are unchecked (all other permissions are greyed out and checked).  For System all permissions are greyed out and checked except Special Permissions, which is greyed out and unchecked.

You Said: "Then at the folder or folders right select properties, security, select the Add button, add the group or user, select Modify (in box below), then select the Advanced button, highlight the user, then select Edit button, unselect Delete check box.  Select OK."

Your description is what shows for Everyone and Users.  I suspect this is because (and here is where I might have done something wrong) I first set the permissions at F:\ by  right clicking Sharing and Security, choosing the security tab and setting the permissions there, also checking the box at the bottom that applies the permissions to all sub folders.  I uncheced the Delete permission for :Administrators, Creator Owner, Everyone and Users.  I did not unckeck the Delete permission for System (I am too niave to tell you why I left the Delete permission for System - I just did).

Now, although Delete shows as unchecked for the permissions on the daughter folder Old Records, as well as for all the subfolders within, I am still able to delete files from a workstation, which is the very thing I am endevoring to prevent.

Thanks and PS: I would be happy to repost this question with another point award,  just let me know.

In the F drive, Administrators did not have full control and so  I checked this box an applied. System did have full control. I went back to Permissions tab in the Advanced button and re propagated the permissions through the daughter folders. Now in the daughter folders Administrators and System are listed as having full control.

When I first set up the server, I had trouble with network access until I figured how to create users and give them passwords.  Then the server files were accessible.  But then from some workstations a user name and password is required to access the files and from others I can navigate to the files without a user name and password.  So  I am a bit confused on this point and I am willing to make redo it properly, if I knew how.

Regarding how I test, I logged on from one of the workstations that does require a user name and password.  I logged on as one of the other users, thinking perhaps my logon account is an administrator.  Yet I am still able to delete files. Could I have created every user as an administrator?  I went to the properties of the users and I see no place to designate the level of users.  I did note that each user I created is a member of the group called "Users."

The server is a member of a workgroup, but not a domain.

In Groups, the only member of Administrators is Administrator.  The users only appear in the Users group.

In the Old Records properties, Users have the following permissions (greyed): Read and Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, Write, Special Permissions - in other words all but Full Control and Modify.  

In the Advanced Security Settings, the users have all but Full Control and Delete, and these are also greyed.  Eruika (maybe): Delete Subfolders and Files is checked.

I did!  Thanks so much for all your help.  

The bad news is that in the end I do not think the OS will allow me to do exactly what I want, because it lumps all the ways to create new files in with delete.  Thus, I can either lock down the files so users can only view them, or I can allow users to create (scan-in, print to pdf and rename), copy,  paste and move, but also accidentally delete.  Would you agree with this?  Unfortunate, because it seems such a logical task: to allow all kinds of creation (move files into folders, create new folders, etc) but no deletion.