Permissions on Utilities folder incorrect...

[Dreambird]

My /Applications/Utilities folder has incorrect permissions... it allows me "Read Only" and defies all efforts to change it. The Application folder allows me "Read & Write" but the files inside are set to "Custom Access". I've tried the Get Info at the bottom in the gear drop down and selected "Apply to enclosed items" and nothing doing.

Tried Disk Warrior and Terminal commands online... Disk Warrior first.
Any ideas? Time to run the Combo Update or?
I'm at a loss on this one. 
Going away for awhile... need to get some sleep...

Thanks

[Xairbusdriver]

Disk Warrior is designed to restore your files directory, it does not touch Permissions.

[Dreambird]

OK... tried OnyX which will repair permissions, didn't work either.

[Paddy]

My Utilities folder is also "read only" for ME - but not for the system (which is read & write). That's all you need. Is System also "read only"?

Applications is as per yours - and then it depends on the app within - App Store for instance: "custom" for "everyone", "read & write" for system, "read only" for "wheel" (who is wheel?) and then it says "read only" for another "everyone". That seems to be par for the course for apps that are part of the OS install. Apps I installed myself are all read & write for admin (that's me) as you'd expect.

[Xairbusdriver]

who is wheel?

Mac OS X has roots in BSD UNIX, a.k.a. the UNIX that came out of UC Berkeley. They had a group of trusted people that could become superuser by using the su command. So they coded their UNIX to only allow people in this specific group to become superuser using su. They chose the groupname 'wheel', supposedly reference to other systems that had WHEEL, possibly a reference to being a 'big wheel'

Source:superuser

[Dreambird]

Hi Paddy,

OK... let's see if I can get this so it's understandable...

First of all, not sure what you mean by System? If it's the System folder on the HD it is read only for me. If it's the permissions on the Utilities folder they are "system: read & write, admin: read only and everyone: read only." Is that right?
Applications are "system: read & write, admin: read & write, and everyone: read only." My App Store is the same as yours. Far as I can tell apps I've installed are: "deekay(Me): read & write, admin: read only and everyone: read only. They differ a little one is: "deekay(Me), Fetching... read only and everyone: read only." That's a "Fetching... that never seems to get Fetched. They say "You have custom access."
I seem to have pretty much the same variation among the apps as you do.
Apps inside the Utilities folder also give me permission to read & write for the most part... some have the weird sort of permissions as App Store. They differ a bit, but most give me permission to read & write. But every one of them pesters for an admin password to do anything, from making an alias to trashing even one of my own installation... a whole range of actions all need a password.
In the Applications folder same sort of thing. "Finder wants to make changes. Password: "

We seem to have similar permissions from what I've seen. I really started to notice it as I started getting prompted for a password over and over. So, from what you say... it appears to be "normal?"

It's the wackiest bunch of variations but you confirm it's apparently "normal."
Thank you! BTW... I love your signature!

Are your external HD's also "read only" for everything as mine is? That also is normal I've read online. The recommendation is to set externals to "ignore ownership" but I'll be darned if I know how... all instructions I've seen have a feature in Get Info that lets you set that... down at the bottom. Not in El Capitan. Not there, so it would HAVE to be set via terminal yet again! 

Thank you, Jim,
I never knew who the heck "wheel" was either!