But how you understand that the cursor is read-only? VFP raise an error or by something else?
There is no variable that could cause such behaviuor. Also you could always use the old method used in previous version of VFP when a programer wants a readwrite cursor, But I think you should find what causes the problem instead of using it.
Against Stupidity the Gods themselves Contend in Vain - Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller
The only thing normal about database guys is their tables.