Help request: All computer folders suddenly went Read Only

Hey there,

I was searching for some pics earlier and decided to save one, but it wouldn't save, so I checked the folder to see if I may have accidentally set it to read only. I thought I did when I saw that "Read Only" had a colored box beside it so I turned it off, clicked apply and then ok. So, I tried saving again but it didn't work, so once I again I went to the read only thing, and again, it was on. I repeated this process once more and same thing happened. I checked the My Documents, My Pictures and even the Documents and Settings folders as well as some on MY desktop. They've all become Read Only and I can't sort it.
I'm running a Windows XP Home Edition on my Laptop and never saw anything like this. I did forget I had a download going on when I turned off my LT because I needed to leave the house for a bit, and when I came back, I turned it on and began searching for said pics. No clue if that could be the cause, but can someone tell me how to sort this issue?

btw, I can save files like word documents, but I can't download anything.

Well, I've never noticed that before, but something is stopping me from downloading.