chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

[Guest]

I created a new directory: call it mp3. Into it, I transferred a number of sub-directories, containing mp3 files. All of the directories and files were "owned" either by root or 500 ... and would not load into amarok. So, in root, I commenced using chown command (?) doing, chown me:me " the directory " etc, and then noticed the files within the directories were not being changed along with with them.

Looked up a chown command. It gave me this: chown -hR me:me /dir

So, I did chown -hR me:me /*

Now, my ENTIRE file system from /bin to /var are on me:me and will not allow me to change them back.

Help? What do I do? Remember, I know just enough to be dangerous to myself and others, and I'm feeling really, really sick about this right now. Thanks for any help you can give.

Tren

[Snowhog]

Re: chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

Basically, you screwed yourself. I know of no easy way at all to undo what you have done. Unless someone has some real magic up their sleeves, and chimes in, I think you are looking at a system re-installation.

[Telengard]

Re: chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

So, I did chown -hR me:me /*

Because you told chown to start at the root of the system and operate on all files and folders.

• -R = recurse all subdirectories
• /* = start at the root of the system, and include all files and folders

Moral of the story: Never blindly enter commands without fully understanding what they do.

Snowhog is right, there is no easy fix. Sorry this happened to you, but the mistake was avoidable.

[Snowhog]

Re: chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

I think this is the first time, since I've been here in KFN, that I've seen such a destructive action taken by a member 'new' to Linux/Kubuntu. trennor did the absolute worst thing that could have been done, next to recursively deleting the entire system.

For all new to Linux/Kubuntu who read this thread, take note of the damage that was done. As Telengard stated, if you don't know or fully understand what a command will do, DON'T DO IT! ASK QUESTIONS!

[Telengard]

Re: chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

For all new to Linux/Kubuntu who read this thread, take note of the damage that was done. As Telengard stated, if you don't know or fully understand what a command will do, DON'T DO IT! ASK QUESTIONS!

^^^^^^^^^^^ Quoted for emphasis and truth.

There are many, many ways you can hose a system from the command line. Even Windows users should know that it is possible to render the system unbootable. Once a user brought her computer to me for repair because it Windows would not start. Somehow, and I swear I don't know how, she had moved WIN.COM to the recycle bin. I got it out, with some effort, and informed her of her error.

More good advice for newbies: Read the documentation you've already been given.

[GreyGeek]

Re: chown: I did my whole computer -- and i need to change some things back.

In the days of "Lore", before there were such wonderful resources like the Kubuntu Forum, I did EXACTLY that same thing. Only by logging in as root would the system run (KDE 1.0, IIRC). I tried for several days to straighten things out so I could run as me. Changing my home account was easy. Changing the rest, especially the links and devices was practically impossible.

I was eventually forced to reinstall. RH 5.1 I think it was... and that was one reason why, since I was going to have to reinstall, that I decided to try SuSE. I purchased 22 boxed sets of SuSE before Novell bought it and tried to take it all proprietary (YAST was proprietary but the rest wasn't).

It would be a good idea for newbies to install a VM and then install the version of Kubuntu they are using as a guest OS. Then, make frequent snapshots. Try your new knowledge out in the guest OS. If something happens and you can't recover, you can restore from the most recent snapshot and redo your changes until you get them worked out correctly, then transfer that new knowledge to your working Kubuntu.