Just want full root access for everything chown makes no sense :(

[DuckHook]

Ahh...

First time you've mentioned a W7 install, though I suspected this when you mentioned virus. You should note that Windows-based AV apps will sometimes give false positives when scanning Linux partitions because they don't know what they are seeing and just default to crying wolf.

Just looked it up and the 999 UID is assigned to first system user account defined by a normal user. It's just a pure guess, but I suspect that you created this account trying to invoke root and your OS now defaults to this as your UID. Continuing to operate as User 999 may make things difficult for you. I don't know if your /home directory is owned by 999 or 1000 (as it would be in a regular install). Remember, you can't access directories/files belonging to another user.

Your awk string contained an extra space that generated verbose output, but no harm done. We got what we wanted. As a tip, in future, it's best to copy and paste commands from code box into terminal with mouse.

I highly recommend Psychocat's site to familiarize yourself more with Ubuntu in general. Because you are running WINE, this sticky is fantastic for learning security despite the fact that it is quite deep and involved. Pay special attention to the WINE section and to NOT run it as root (not a good idea for any common app, but especially WINE). Digesting both will give you a better understanding of why Ubuntu does things the way it does.

[bab1]

...

chown user:group /directory

This wont change the ownership on any files in the directory but any new files will take the settings of the parent folder.

This is not true of any default Debian/Ubuntu Linux system. You have to set SIUD/SGID bits to have inheritance. See here for the relevant info. I believe this is so of RedHat/CentOS/SUSE too, but I have only slight experience with those distros.

[bab1]

Just looked it up and the 999 UID is assigned to first system user account defined by a normal user. It's just a pure guess, but I suspect that you created this account trying to invoke root and your OS now defaults to this as your UID...

I think the OP was running a LiveCD version. In that instance the user is ubuntu with no password. See below in red (provided by the OP)

username: ubuntu:x:999:999:Live session user,,,:/home/ubuntu:/bin/bash

The first user created on an fresh install is always 1000.

Edit: FWIW you can print a list of users like this

getent passwd

[DuckHook]

I think the OP was running a LiveCD version

If so, you mean he's been trying to delete a file from a DVD??? How would he have installed WINE? or run W7 AV?

@OP

Please clarify.

[Armann]

Good thread, great read, thanks.

[bab1]

If so, you mean he's been trying to delete a file from a DVD??? How would he have installed WINE? or run W7 AV?

@OP

Please clarify.

You can install apps using a LiveCD. I have installed Samba Server myself. It's not persistent, but you can do it. I can't see any reason why you can't install Wine. If you mount a partition you can save data too. The system that is running is a compressed image that is inflated when booted (init). It's true the DVD files can't be changed from read only.

[DuckHook]

You can install apps using a LiveCD.

I know it can be done. It was more a series of... ehmm... rhetorical questions...

[Morbius1]

All I want is to be allowed to change my files permissions so I can run executables with WINE .....

Just as a side note: Wine can't even determine if an *.exe file has a Linux executable bit set so it doesn’t matter if it's executable or not.

When you double click test.exe the following command is run:

cautious-launcher test.exe wine start /unix

Cautious-launcher is the thing that checks to see if it's executable not Wine ( also holds true for a java jar file ). The thing to do is either bypass or disassociate cautious-launcher from Wine: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1747138

Option 2 in that link no longer works because setting a custom command in Nautilus is now verboten - it's a feature so it had to go. But you can install the Thunar file manager and get it back.

As another side note I wouldn’t do this on a drunken bet:

chmod -R 750 /directory

You just made every single file executable. The Jedi way is something like this:

chmod -R a+rwX,g-w,o-rwx /directory

All folders will be 750
All Files will be 640 except those that were executable to begin with.

[bab1]

... The Jedi way is something like this:

chmod -R a+rwX,g-w,o-rwx /directory

All folders will be 750
All Files will be 640 except those that were executable to begin with.

Absolutely +1

[androideka31]

Are you having trouble with the syntax of the command or just understanding what it does?