How was it mounted? What is the filesystem used?
If you have an entry for it in /etc/fstab, and it uses a vfat filesystem, then you can change the ownership by using certain mount options:
Code:
UUID=3B69-1AFD /mnt/xmas vfat rw,noauto,nosuid,nodev,noatime,flush,user,uid=jschiwal,gid=jschiwal,fmask=117,dmask=007,utf8,shortname=lower 0 0
This is an entry for a usb pen drive. the "uid=" and "gid=" options change the owner and default group. The "fmask" and "dmask" options change the permissions. Since the "x" bit needs to be set on directories, the dmask value used doesn't mask them. For mass storage devices, it is best not allowing execution of files. The "user" option allows the owner to mount the device without using sudo. For removable drives, using a device name like /dev/sdb1 isn't a good idea because the device assigned to it may be different the next time you use it. You can use "LABEL=" or "UUID=" instead. The "noatime,flush" options are used because it is a pendrive and not a hard disk based device.
If on the other hand the system pops up a dialog asking you if you want to mount it, you may be able to change how it is mounted by going into properties. If you don't want to manually mount the device this may be the better option. I don't use Mandriva & I don't know which desktop you are using.
If you are using KDE, then right click on the disk icon on the desktop and select properties. Click on the Mounting tab. Make sure the "Mount as User" box is clicked.
