should I remove 'read only' attributes or not

I have quite a lot of files I want to copy/move off my pc. A lot of them have the read only attribute ticked. Do I need to remove this before I copy/move the files or can I still access the files off a flash drive/cd/dvd ok later on? Also, if I might ask, what is the best way to put files on a flash drive. Move, copy or use a programme like Nero? I would not like to do what I think should be done and then find out 3 months down the road that I can't access the files anymore. By then the files will have all been lost and there are far too many that can't be replaced. Thanks for reading and in advance for any help offered. hedley

Copy/Paste works just fine.

For removing "Read-Only" attributes, have a look here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326549

Best Regards

Hi Doug, thanks for the reply. I think I'll leave the read only attributes alone after reading that article. Thanks for the help. Much appreciated, as always. hedley