Way to set system wide authority for .exe files

G'day,

I've only encountered this problem in Zorin 5 (my first exposure to Zorin) and is is a system wide setting. I have the Zorin 5 Ultimate version loaded. All .exe files are shown as not executable. When I click on such a file I get an error message with the title - Blocked: wine start/unix - the main part of the message says - The file '/media/CDROTT/install.exe' is not marked as executable. If this was downloaded or copied from an untrusted source, it may be dangerous to run. For more details, read about the executable bit. - and the file will NOT run.

The hot link in the warning message takes me to a web page:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Security/ExecutableBit

Which includes these words -- Ubuntu Policy requires that software not marked as executable not be runnable. One of the most common ways you will see this is by having a package ship a .desktop file for a MimeType which executes the target file (.EXE, .JAR, etc). This is not allowed unless the target file is already executable (or installed by a trusted software repository). -- this would indicate it's a system setting policy that's automatically refusing the executable but instruction on the CD.

Now, the real issue is that I can NOT change the permission of the file on the CD, and when I check the CD under Ubuntu 10.10 on another machine, the file shows as being an executable file with the executable bit tagged. Copying the ISO to the hard drive and changing the permission file for that file doesn't work either, as I need to extract the file to do that.

Does anyone know of a way that I can adjust this override by the system as it interferes with the loading of games from the games discs themselves.

Regards,

Ernest

Thanks for the response swarfendor437, but it doesn't help at all. Still can't enable the .exe files unless extracted and copied to hard rivem then permission changed - this then means I got troubles with the system not recognising the game disc location later.

Ernest

yes, to both. The issue with the copy to the hard drive is that the system does NOT recognise the play disc afterwards, as it's NOT the same drive the game was loaded from and then refuses to play.

I did manage to get one game loaded via the copy to hard drive process, but then I was unable to run the expansion pack as the CD was not the hard drive, and if I copy the expansion pack across to the hard drive to do it the same way, it wipes out some of the original files and kills the game, too.

A problem I noted with both Winetricks and PlayOnLinux is if you want to load a game or application that is NOT in their list, it has no obvious option to do so as it doesn't go through a browse process. The PlayOnLinux also tells me there's an update, but no way to load it. Oh, another point, PlayOnLinux does NOT have a back button so if you need to go back a step, you have to cancel and start over again. Not very user friendly, if you ask me.

believe me, I've been trying every conceivable option over the last week. The only answer is to be able to disable the process that is auto killing the executable action on the .exe file - that's a system setting of some sort and needs to be found and reset, if it can be found.

Surely it should be enough to stop a .exe from auto running, but allowing the user to tell it to run, regardless of the source it's from.

Regards,

Ernest

Hi DE,

I cannot help you myself but you may find this link useful:

http://www.winehq.org/

Regards Wolfman

G'day Wolfman,

Thanks for the link but I've already been there and they have nothing on it, in fact, I don't think they know about this new policy issue and process by Ubuntu. I sent them an email about it as their Bugzilla site had a report that seems to be exactly the same as this.

This is clearly a Ubuntu created issue carried over into Zorin, and I'm hoping one of the developers can tell me how to get around it, or nudge them into producing something that will get around it.

The Ubuntu link in the earlier post has a link on it to a Ubuntu Development Team meeting in October 2010 where this new policy was accepted and decided on for all future Ubuntu releases. The problem is you can't change the permission settings on a CD and older games that require a play disc are a definite no go. I've commented on the matter on the Ubuntu wiki site related to that policy, too.

What I need now is a simply and clear instruction on how to bypass this policy process in Zorin 5 Ultimate.

Regards,

Ernest

G'day All,

Thinking about this and what's said in the Ubuntu tech pages, I think this may be solvable IF someone can tell me how to set up an optical drive or CD to be recognised as a valid repository in the update manager. That way the system should accept the executable bit information of the files on the CD.

Ernest

Hi DE,

try here:

http://how-to.linuxcareer.com/how-to-mo ... m-in-linux

http://linux.about.com/od/linux101/l/blnewbie4_2_2.htm

You can also install "mountmanager" and see if this helps!!. I hope this helps you further

Regards Wolfman

G'day Wolfman,

Thanks for the response, but the issue is NOT mounting a CDROM, I know how to do that. I get the CDROM working OK, but the system refuses to recognise the .exe files as being executable due to the idiotic security measure introduced in the link below. I say idiotic as they did not even consider how this would affect CDs and DVDs. Yes, I have mount manager and it doesn't help with this.

The problem stems from Ubuntu itself:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Security/ExecutableBit

quote

Files from outside the supported software repository are not marked as "executable" since they did not get installed via a trusted source. Because of this, attempting to open/run downloaded files that are software will fail. These files are blocked for security reasons to help unsuspecting users avoid malware (i.e. malicious software like trojan horses, worms, and viruses).

Ubuntu Policy requires that software not marked as executable not be runnable. One of the most common ways you will see this is by having a package ship a .desktop file for a MimeType which executes the target file (.EXE, .JAR, etc). This is not allowed unless the target file is already executable (or installed by a trusted software repository).

End quote

Now this is a good security measure for items downloaded from the net, but it totally screws over anything being loaded from a CRROM or DVDROM. The .exe file is marked executable on the CD in other systems, but Ubuntu 11.04 and 11.10 disregards that and requires me to access the CD and reset the executable bit via the Permissions settings during the current session - I can't do that with a CD or DVD and doubt anyone can. The above policy also makes it clear that anything downloaded from a source marked as trusted source in the repository list is exempted from this disabling activity. Thus, I need to set the repository list to recognise specific CDs or the CDROM as a trusted repository. A check of what's listed there shows only URLs, not mount points

Thus the concern on how to place a mount point in the repository list as a trusted source. That will overcome the Ubuntu security measure against Internet nasties.

regards,

Ernest

Hi Ernest,

have you tried copying the .exe file to your home folder and then make it run???. (I assume that there might be some read/write protection though)

Regards Wolfman

G'day Wolfman,

yes did that, I can get some to work that way if I copy ALL the files off the disc and set the .exe permissions - but it's still no good because if I put all the files from all the discs for the multi-disc games in that one directory some of the instructions don't work, and it still looks for a .exe file on the play disc that has a hidden security check file somewhere.

I think I can make it work if I can find out how to list the CDROM drive or the CDs as trusted sources in the repository list.

Ernest