Linux Newbie...

My Distro is SUSE 8.2, Kernel 2.4.20-4GB, installed on a Toshiba Satellite 1800-s100.

I have a 14 GIG external Toshiba drive Connected via USB, through a USB 2.0 Cardbus card. It is formatted as FAT32. The drive is recognized; Mounts automatically both root, and user; and I can write to it --- but only as root.

Here is my /etc/fstab entry:

/dev/sda1 /windows/External vfat user 0 0

I can't change ownership of directories on this drive, nor can I change ownership of the drive itself!

When I create a directory X and then chown it to the user I want to let access that directory I get "Can't change permissions on folder X, You do not have sufficient privleges to do this" --- this being whilst logged on as ROOT!

Example:
linux:/windows/External # mkdir TheWaker
linux:/windows/External # chown -c thewaker TheWaker
chown: changing ownership of `TheWaker': Operation not permitted
linux:/windows/External #
(I am logged on as root here)

This is annoying the heck out of me....all I want to do is write files to this drive in both Linux and WinXP so I can share back and forth with ease!

Any help is greatly appreciated, and I hope I've included enough information.

This *might* work...

in /etc/fstab
1. add the device and mount point.
2. specify the file system as auto
3. specify the other options as-rw,owner,user
4. mount the drive.

Are you trying to change permissions of the directory with the drive mounted?

This question is asked a lot here so have you searched the stite yet?

Hint: You will need to add the option umask=000 to the entry in the /etc/fstab file.

Ha, I don't know what I did, but it's working now.

Actually I did nothing....I rebooted a few times whilst configuring other hardware...

I've been reading from/writing to it all morning...GIG after GIG...

By the way...I did search the forum, but couldn't seem to find any information answering my specific problem.

Anyways Thanks for you help...I'll remember those answers for the future

A useful addition to a suitable umask value is your user id number ( uid =xxx ) - it grants you ownership of your mounted files etc.