I need a tool for changing file/directory attributes

Well, if you dont have permission, anything you try will fail.

Reinstall Windows. From the looks of things that virus really did a number on your system.
Using another tool to accomplish the same job as attrib is obviously not going to fix the problem.

hkBattousai said:

I don't understand why you persistently insist on using attrib command.

I don't want to check any folder permissions.
I don't want to write a long and confusing command to console every time I want to change attribute of a folder.

In the first place, I don't understand why Windows won't let my to change the attributes of my own files.

You may like to enter old DOS commands, my be you want to have some nostalgia, I respect your choices. But I don't like it; most people don't like it.

Is there any tool (explorer add-on, or third party with its own GUI, not console) for this purpose?

Wow! with attitude like that I am surprised anyone will help you.

From what I've seen also in previous posts, it may also be a good idea to run a CHKDSK on the drive, because it would appear that the NTFS folder structures have become corrupted...