(solved) nobody files

[vespaio]

Hi,

I have transferred files from XP to Kubuntu through my network. They appear as 'nobody' files in Kubuntu and I cannot delete them. Anyone know how?

Thanks, Ray

[rfakhrai]

Re: nobody files

What kind of files are they? And what do you mean by 'nobody' file? It doesn't have an extension?

If you right click on the files and get some permissions information, who owns them?

What happens when you try to delete them?

I hope you see what I'm getting at. We need more details!

[kubicle]

Re: nobody files

I have transferred files from XP to Kubuntu through my network. They appear as 'nobody' files in Kubuntu and I cannot delete them. Anyone know how?

If I understood you correctly, the files are owned by user "nobody"?

You can modify the ownership (make your regular user the owner) or delete them if you start your filemanager "as root", with:
1. Alt+f2 to open krunner (run dialog)
2. Run "kdesudo dolphin"

[oshunluvr]

Re: nobody files

"nobody" in the ownership username of a file copied to the system without a known user, i.e. any windows sourced file.

You can use the dolphin method above or open a terminal, navigate to the subject files and use the chown command to assign the files to your username and groupname.

Or you can delete them using sudo rm .

[vespaio]

Re: nobody files

Hi to all,

The owner/user is 'nobody' and the files can be anything from .pdf to .doc, but they all come from a pc using XP. I will try kdesudo dolphin, but I have already tried the 'chown' command with no success. I can access the folder the files are in, but the directory'/files themselves cannot be deleted. When I try to, I am told I don't have permission to do so. Even though the file is visible on the desktop or in a folder, when I use the chown command I get a message saying the file does not exist.

Ray

[eddieg780]

Re: nobody files

I had this exact same problem. I had tried kdesudo dolphin but no go or anything else. I had to use the Kubuntu CD. Even then, kdesudo from the CD did not work so I sent them to the recycle bin and then shut down, removed the CD, started my computer and they were gone. Maybe a round about way to do it but it worked.

[vespaio]

Re: nobody files

Hi again,

kdesudo dolphin worked like a charm. Thank you all for your help.

Ray

[rfakhrai]

Re: nobody files

Sorry for all the questions. I now know what a nobody file is.

[eddieg780]

Re: nobody files

Glad to hear it. Would you mark this as solved please. Thank you.

[kubicle]

Re: nobody files

kdesudo dolphin worked like a charm.

but I have already tried the 'chown' command with no success. I can access the folder the files are in, but the directory'/files themselves cannot be deleted. When I try to, I am told I don't have permission to do so. Even though the file is visible on the desktop or in a folder, when I use the chown command I get a message saying the file does not exist.

Dolphin is a somewhat simpler way, but there should be no reason why chown wouldn't work. Here's a few pointers on using chown (you can read 'man chown' for more info):

1. chown (like dolphin) needs root privileges to change the ownership to you, so you need to sudo chown (see below for an example)
2. if the files you want to chown are not in the current working directory, you need to provide a full path (either absolute or relative to the current working directory) to the files/directories you wish to chown.

Examples:
Change ownership of file1 and file2 to user 'username' and group 'groupname':

sudo chown username:groupname /path/to/file1 /path/to/file2

Change ownership of directory1 and all files and subdirectories in directory1 to user 'username' and group 'groupname':

sudo chown -R username:groupname /path/to/directory1

(Always use the recursive -R option with caution, especially when using sudo)

[oshunluvr]

Re: nobody files

@kubicle: thanks for fleshing out the chown comment for me - I neglected to put the sudo part in there I would add that I use the --preserve-root option when using -R to prevent unintended results.

@rfakhrai: the username "nobody" is the test placeholder for numerical userid 65534. You can see this by opening a terminal and typing;

touch test
sudo chown nobody: test
ls -n test

You'll then need to remove it with;

sudo rm test

[vespaio]

Re: nobody files

Hi,

A very foolish question, but since this is my first time at this site...how do I mark a problem as 'solved'? Just add the word 'solved' in the subject line? Or is there an icon somewhere that kills the topic?

Ray

[oshunluvr]

Re: nobody files

Actually - that's a fantastic question because too many people don't do that.

It's simple but not obvious: Select the first post in the thread and select Edit. That will allow you to edit the subject line.

[ScottyK]

Re: (solved) nobody files

I also ran into this problem, but I was copying from one kubuntu computer to another kubuntu computer.

I know it's a problem going from Windows to Kubuntu, but why would ownership drop off between kubuntu computers?

the kdesude dolphin suggestion fixed it though.