Linux and Windows XP share a fat32 drive on my dual-boot system.
The drive is mounted as /e in Linux and known as volume E: in
Windows.  There is a directory named Documents on this drive which
I use instead of the "My Documents" folder on Windows.

The Documents directory holds my email, configuration files, etc.,
which are shared by both OS's.  User jim on Linux owns every file
on /e.

This all works fine as long as "My Documents" is set to its default
path, which I no longer use.  But if I have Windows "My Documents"
point to E:\Documents, user jim on Linux loses the ability to create
or delete files in /e/Documents!  Only root can add or delete files.

Mind you, jim can still edit existing files, delete every character
in them and save them empty if he wants to.  But he can't delete
them.  He can also create and remove files anywhere else on /e.

Go back to Windows, right-click "My Documents", left-click Properties,
choose "Restore Default", click Apply, then OK.  Reboot to Linux and
once again jim can add and remove files in /e/Documents.

Can anyone explain what XP does to E:\Documents that causes such an
effect on Linux?
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On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:05:45 GMT, Jim Showalter wrote:

> Linux and Windows XP share a fat32 drive on my dual-boot system.
> The drive is mounted as /e in Linux and known as volume E: in
> Windows.  There is a directory named Documents on this drive which
> I use instead of the "My Documents" folder on Windows.
>
> The Documents directory holds my email, configuration files, etc.,
> which are shared by both OS's.  User jim on Linux owns every file
> on /e.
>
> This all works fine as long as "My Documents" is set to its default
> path, which I no longer use.  But if I have Windows "My Documents"
> point to E:\Documents, user jim on Linux loses the ability to create
> or delete files in /e/Documents!  Only root can add or delete files.
>
> Mind you, jim can still edit existing files, delete every character
> in them and save them empty if he wants to.  But he can't delete
> them.  He can also create and remove files anywhere else on /e.
>
> Go back to Windows, right-click "My Documents", left-click Properties,
> choose "Restore Default", click Apply, then OK.  Reboot to Linux and
> once again jim can add and remove files in /e/Documents.
>
> Can anyone explain what XP does to E:\Documents that causes such an
> effect on Linux?

Not sure, but you do have an option in XP to make a folder 'private' (look
at the sharing tab on the same dialog you use to reset defaults). That
could be doing it.
Adam

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Adam Price wrote:
>
> Not sure, but you do have an option in XP to make a folder 'private' (look
> at the sharing tab on the same dialog you use to reset defaults). That
> could be doing it.
> Adam

Good point, Adam.  But I always leave the "Make this folder private"
option unchecked.  Also I've tried setting "Share this folder on the
network" and "Allow network users to change my files" both on the
Sharing tab, but none of this has helped.

But because of your suggestion, I went back over these settings and
discovered that the read only check-box on the Attributes tab - which
I had previously cleared - was darkened!

Clicking on it repeatedly reveals that it has three possibilities
instead of two: darkened, clear and checked.  And no matter how many
times I go through the procedure of clearing it, clicking Apply, then
confirming the change in the window that pops up - when it's opened
again, the check-box is in the darkened (non-cleared) state!

Could this be an indicator of some limitations in the fat32 file
permissions?

At any rate, I've given-up caring that the Windows "My Documents"
folder be shared on Linux.  Like so much in the Microsoft world,
this is just too bizarre! 

Cheers!
jim
--

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