Really weird problem

USB external drive with NTFS file system on it. Can't access the drive AT ALL via file manager as a normal user (no prob with Root).

Click on to the My Computer icon and it's acessible from a normal user --shows it's an external device mounted on /media/sda5 (this directory entry doesn't seem to actually exist as far as I can see) but it seems to work.


There's a Locked Icon in /MEDIA for USBDISK.

Now as root if I share /MEDIA/USBDISK (enable it as SAMBA Share) then miraculously it works fine by logging on as root and just right mouse click on properties for USBDISK and choose sharing.

After this is done I can logon as a normal user and get access to the disk on the local machine.

I can also get to the data from other computers on the network (Windows and Linux) by logging on as a normal user.

Haven't a clue what's going on here

any explanations -- although the problem seems to be solved it would be nice to have some idea of what I'm doing.

Thanks

-K

I have more or less the same problems with my credit card usb flash drive, normal user is locked, root can write... damn infuriating