knoppix

[Leo J Mauler]

On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 08:46:36 -0600 "Brian Kelsay" <BLKELSAY at kcc.usda.gov>
writes:
> Brian Kelsay
> 
> >>> Leo J Mauler <> 03/14/04 08:13PM >>>
> 
> >>On Sat, 13 Mar 2004 15:55:15 -0600 Brian Kelsay <>
> >> writes:
> >> I actually ran into some files that Knoppix can't delete.  
> >> I'm repairing a Winders 98 PC for someone and I think 
> >> he filled the drive to almost totally full.  I removed a 
> >> bunch of stuff and then tried to delete some spyware 
> >> in the Program Files dir and I get permission denied.
> >> 
> >> Anyone know why?
> 
> > Sometimes Linux picks up on the FAT file record and 
> > interprets it to mean something like file permissions.  
> > There's a "read-only" bit you can set.   Other times 
> > Linux gets annoyed with special characters in the 
> > filename which aren't allowed in Linux filenames.
> >
> > I've had some success deleting those files using Midnight 
> > Commander (mc), the ncurses-based file manager.  The
> > mc app seems to be able to ignore file permissions in some 
> > cases, especially since you're running it as root, allowing 
> > you to delete files in mc which wouldn't delete in plain
> > shell "rm <filename>".
> 
> Same PC, now w/ XP Pro loaded (so I can at least lock 'em 
> down), there are a couple of directories under C:Program 
> Files that have read-only set and can't be deleted or have the 
> permission changed under XP.  It's going to be Knoppix time 
> again when I mess w/ it.  I was really surprised that Knoppix 
> couldn't delete those files.  

You're using WinXP?  The default filesystem for XP is NTFS, and Linux
NTFS support is only guaranteed for *reading* NTFS filesystems.  Writing
to or deleting from a NTFS filesystem isn't generally supported in Linux
NTFS support (the last time I checked up on NTFS support a week ago).

> I was using Konquerer last time.  Next go around I will try 
> MC if it is on there, otherwise I'll use DamnSmall Linux and 
> Emelfm, which I have had success with before.  I had always 
> thought that Linux didn't recognize Winders file permissions.

MC is on KNOPPIX, though there is one issue with mc: if you run default
KNOPPIX GUI mode (instead of text mode KNOPPIX) and run mc in a terminal
window, you'll have to use the mouse cursor to pull down one of the mc
menus to quit out of mc.  Normally, text-mode mc quits using the F10 key,
but in KDE the F10 key has been assigned to a terminal window function
and does not affect anything running inside the terminal window.

> Another problem this PC has is there is a mysterious amount of space 
> taken up on the drive.  4.5 GB used out of 6GB.  Can't find anything 
> using a large amount of space.  I may start over and completely wipe 
> the PC.  

Yes!  Erase WinXP!  Do it for your country!  :)

> Bah, what a pain.  I think this is one reason to not 
> have friends.

Without friends how will you find enough computer problems to keep you
disheveled and happy?  Even with four computers and my wife's computer I
just don't find enough problems at home to keep my Mr. FixIt personality
(think Walter Mitty) from crumbling into dust.  :)