Password required to delete files

Hi OIT

Let's see what "custom access" on your Downloads folder actually means. Open the Terminal (from /Applications/Utilities) and copy and paste the following into the Terminal window followed by a return:

ls -alde ~ ~/Downloads/

You should get two lines of output: copy and paste them from the Terminal window to a post here.

first run the following command in terminal

chmod -R -N ~/Downloads

This should remove all ACLs from ~/Downloads and anything in it.
Since ~/Downloads is a system folder and really shouldn't be deletable
next run the following

chmod +a "everyone deny delete" ~/Downloads

This should protect the Downloads folder itself from being deleted.

In the future, don't use "apply to enclosed items" for permissions on System created folders. They typically have those deny delete ACLs and you would just pass them along to all their contents.

Message was edited by: V.K.

oops, make that downloads instead of Library.

OIT wrote:
Seems to explain the problem; how do I change it?

David

Well no it doesn't necessarily, since Terminal tells me

drwxr-xr-x+ 34 michaelc staff 1156 17 Mar 17:35 /Users/michaelc
 0: group:everyone deny delete
drwx------+ 97 michaelc staff 3298 18 Mar 17:03 /Users/michaelc/Downloads/
 0: group:everyone deny delete

while Finder tells me about my Downloads folder:

You have custom access
user(me) Read & Write
everyone No Access

However the Terminal command only looked at the Downloads directory, not anything inside. So it may be worth doing what V.K. suggested, but here's a way of doing it with just one command:

chmod -RN ~/Downloads/*

That will leave the correct ACL on the ~/Downloads directory. It's worth a try, but I'm not convinced it will work, so please give us feedback 😉

I have a fix, separate from what Michael or V.K. said. If their's doesn't work, then try these:

Fix 1:

Type

chmod -R -a "everyone deny delete" ~/

Note: This will remove the 'everyone deny delete' ACE (access control entry) from all files and folders in your home directory, the next command will add it back to where it needs to be
And then

chmod +a "everyone deny delete" ~/ ~/Desktop ~/Documents ~/Downloads ~/Library ~/Movies ~/Music ~/Pictures ~/Public ~/Public/Drop\ Box ~/Sites

Note: This only applies the 'everyone deny delete' ACE to the folders listed, not their contents. These folders are required by the system, this ACE prevents you (or anyone else) from renaming, moving or deleting them (because they are required by the OS).

Just copy/paste the bold text, one at a time, into a Terminal window (/Applications/Utilities) and press return. That should do it.

This is not my solution (I don't know terminal) but this is the petrock fix for the issue.
Good luck!


Fix 2 (something more major):


1. Insert your Leopard install DVD.
2. Shut down, then start while holding "C".
3. Select a language.
4. Click Utilities>Reset Password.
5. Click "Reset" at the bottom, and reset all affected accounts EXCEPT "System Administrator (Root)".
6. Restart. All home folder permissions will be reset to default.

(And don't use the "apply to enclosed items" feature).





C h r i s t o p h

Message was edited by: Christoph *

this is a serious overkill. there is absolutely no reason to mess with permissions on files outside the Downloads folder. what you describe would make sense if someone clicked on "apply to enclosed items" on permissions for the whole home folder. This is not the case here so why do this?

Message was edited by: V.K.

ok, in that case the commands provided by Christoph are useful.
First run
chmod -R -a "everyone deny delete" ~/

This will remove the "deny delete" ACEs from everything in your home folder.

Next run

chmod +a "everyone deny delete" ~/ ~/Desktop ~/Documents ~/Downloads ~/Library ~/Movies ~/Music ~/Pictures ~/Public ~/Public/Drop\ Box ~/Sites


This will restore "deny delete" ACEs on those folders in your home folder which ought to have them such as the Desktop folder and the Downloads folder.

Hopefully, this will fix things.

and Oh, yes. As I said before, in the future DO NOT use "apply to enclosed items" on system folders!

I have given this solution, for I thought it very unlikely that only the downloads folder was messed up. As it turns out, I was correct so the entire home folder needs work on.


C h r i s t o p h