How to change FAT32 file attributes under OS X?
Under OS X, the FAT/FAT32 file system Readonly attribute is set when a file is locked. When a file is viewed in the Finder application, a small lock will appear on the file icon. This Readonly attribute can be set or unset by highlighting the file and then selecting "File->Get Info" from the menu bar. The Readonly attribute can then be modified by checking or unchecking the box labeled "Locked". 

This also can be done from the command line. First, to view the attributes use the command below.

ls -lO &lt;filename&gt;


To set the Readonly attribute use the following command.

chflags uchg &lt;filename&gt;


To reset the Readonly attribute use the following command.

chflags nochg &lt;filename&gt;


To set the Hidden attribute use the following command.

chflags hidden &lt;filename&gt;


To reset the Hidden attribute use the following command.

chflags nohidden &lt;filename&gt;


To set the Archive attribute use the following command. Note: this command is the opposite of what one would expect to enter."

sudo chflags noarch &lt;filename&gt;


To reset the Archive attribute use the following command. Note: this command is the opposite of what one would expect to enter."

sudo chflags arch &lt;filename&gt;



  Note: The System attribute does not seem to have an OS X equivalent. So even if the Windows command attib can alter the System attribute, the OS X command chflags can not.