How do you change file permissions is nobody is the owner?

I am transferring files from one computer to another and placing them in the public folder on Zorin OS 5. When I use the Zorin OS 5 system, I can play the files and copy them, but I cannot move them, rename them, or delete them. It says I do not have permission. I click on the permissions and it lists the owner as nobody. Because of that, I cannot change the permissions either. However, I can login from another computer, access the public folder, and delete files.

Hi Julian,

I would try copying them again from where ever you got them from and check the permissions before you start to copy!!.

Regards Wolfman

The files are on an external HD. They were put there from a Windows machine. The HD only plays well with the Ubuntu machine (the HD is failing). I am copying the filed using the Ubuntu machine to the Zorin machine. When I view the permissions on the external HD, is lists me as the owner. Not sure why it is disappearing when it gets copied.

When I try to change the file permissions while it is still on the external HD, it won't let me. Nor can I change the permissions once they have been copied.

Set the permissions in your Ubuntu system to can read and write for where it says "File Access", as long as you are the owner, there shouldn't be a problem.

Did you originally copy the files as "root".?? If you did, you are most likely screwed unless you sudo to Nautilus!!.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FilePermissions

Regards Wolfman

Julian wrote:I am transferring files from one computer to another and placing them in the public folder on Zorin OS 5. When I use the Zorin OS 5 system, I can play the files and copy them, but I cannot move them, rename them, or delete them. It says I do not have permission. I click on the permissions and it lists the owner as nobody. Because of that, I cannot change the permissions either. However, I can login from another computer, access the public folder, and delete files.

Open the gnome-terminal up
df -hT

Mine looks like this:

dfron@anubis:~$ df -hT
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 ext4 450G 405G 23G 95% /
none devtmpfs 1.5G 280K 1.5G 1% /dev
none tmpfs 1.5G 8.9M 1.5G 1% /dev/shm
none tmpfs 1.5G 392K 1.5G 1% /var/run
none tmpfs 1.5G 0 1.5G 0% /var/lock
none tmpfs 1.5G 0 1.5G 0% /lib/init/rw
/dev/sdb1 ext4 76G 180M 72G 1% /media/sdb1
ron@anubis:~$


Now cd /media/***
(*** = sdb1 in my case, so cd /meda/sdb1)

Now I'm on my external hard drive as you can see below:

ron@anubis:/media/sdb1$

Now.. ls -al

drwxrwxrwx 4 root root 12K 2011-11-11 23:38 .
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 4.0K 2011-11-29 07:59 ..
drwx------ 2 root root 16K 2011-02-19 00:29 lost+found
drwx------ 5 ron ron 4.0K 2011-02-19 00:51 .Trash-1000


I don't have any files or folders in it yet, but ;et's say I did, simply dow the following:

sudo chown username:username -Rf foldername
or
sudo chown username:username -Rf *a*
(if it has a in the name of it)

for files, sudo chown username:username -Rf *.fileextention like this:
sudo chown username:username -Rf *.mp3

Now you have ownership.

Now change permissions like so:

sudo chmod ABC -Rf foldername
sudo chmod -f ABC filename or *.fileextension

ABC = octal permissions
A = You, the user
B = Group
C = everyone else

4 = Read r
2 = Write w
1 = Execute x

so 4 (r) + 2 (w) + 1 (x) = 7 or rwx
4 (r) + 1 (x) = 5

So if you want all permissions, rwx, then A becomes 7 and if you want group t o have read/write (rw), then B = 5, and the same gor Others, rw or C = 5

So sudo chmod 755 -Rf foldername
OR
sudo chmod 755 -f *.fileextension

Ok thanks. This will be helpful for any future file transfers. Just wish there was an easier way.