Can't write to HDD, really annoying

baldurpet · 09-30-2009, 09:31 PM

I just got a formatted 1TB hard disk, so I used gparted to make it into a ext4 partition. I have 2 questions:

A file called lost+found was created there: This has happened to me many times, I don't know if this is some big deal but I can't delete this file unless I'm root.
I can't write to the disk: This is the real reason why I posting here, and this as well is not the first time I've run into this little annoyance. No sooner had I partitioned the 1TB hard drive than I couldn't create new files on it or move files to it (without being root) so I guess that means the HDD is read-only? Why would that happen?! This is really annoying.

TuPari · 09-30-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldurpet

I just got a formatted 1TB hard disk, so I used gparted to make it into a ext4 partition. I have 2 questions:

A file called lost+found was created there: This has happened to me many times, I don't know if this is some big deal but I can't delete this file unless I'm root.

Don't delete it. It is there for a reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldurpet

I can't write to the disk: This is the real reason why I posting here, and this as well is not the first time I've run into this little annoyance. No sooner had I partitioned the 1TB hard drive than I couldn't create new files on it or move files to it (without being root) so I guess that means the HDD is read-only? Why would that happen?! This is really annoying.

What are the ownership and permissions of the root directory of that partition?

baldurpet · 09-30-2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TuPari

Don't delete it. It is there for a reason.

What reason does it serve? Should I never delete it? It really looks ugly having it there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TuPari

What are the ownership and permissions of the root directory of that partition?

...ooh. Damn do I feel silly- I tried remounting the thing again and again using the -o rw. I feel silly

thank you very much

TuPari · 10-01-2009, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldurpet

What reason does it serve? Should I never delete it? It really looks ugly having it there.

That's where fsck puts file fragments it finds.

lutusp · 10-01-2009, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baldurpet

What reason does it serve? Should I never delete it? It really looks ugly having it there.
...ooh. Damn do I feel silly- I tried remounting the thing again and again using the -o rw. I feel silly

thank you very much

Quote:

It really looks ugly having it there.

Not as ugly as not having it there. It is how the filesystem recovers lost files and fragments in the event of a partial drive failure. It's like a fire extinguisher -- which is an annoying waste of space until your house is on fire.