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From: Lloyd Zusman <ljz AT asfast DOT com>
Subject:  Re: Changing Windows "hidden" and "system" attributes?
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 11:49:51 +0000 (UTC)
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Thorsten Kampe <thorsten <at> thorstenkampe.de> writes:

> 
> * Lloyd Zusman (Thu, 26 Oct 2006 11:31:39 +0000 (UTC))
> > Aside from using "cmd /c attrib", is there a way in cygwin for me to
> > change the Windows "hidden" or "system" attributes of a file?
> 
> Yes, "attrib" (without the "cmd /c")

That doesn't work for me inside the cygwin bash shell on my box:

  ljz AT nykdwm708345 ~
  $ attrib
  bash: attrib: command not found

I guess I have some sort of PATH or mount error, which I'll check after
posting this message.


> > There don't seem to be any extensions to chmod that will accomplish
> > this,
> 
> There is no concept of hidden or system as a file attribute in Linux. 
> It's achieved via a leading dot in the file name...

I was mentioning _extensions_ to the chmod command, not the standard
Linux syntax.  The cygwin ps command has the "-W, --windows" extension,
and I was commenting on the fact that the cygwin chmod command doesn't
have anything similar that might deal with Windows-specific file attributes.

Furthermore, given that I'm running cygwin, the underlying OS is Windows,
not Linux, and Windows indeed makes use of these "hidden" and "system" 
attributes.  I'm sure that you realize that putting a dot in front of a
file name on a Windows box will not magically cause that OS to suddenly
treat the file as a hidden or system file.  Since I couldn't get "attrib"
to work by itself within my bash shell, I was wondering if there was a way 
under cygwin to change the Windows-specfic system or hidden file attributes 
without going into a "Command Prompt" (ugh!) or using Windows Explorer
(more ugh!).


> > and I'm wondering if there is a cygwin-specific utility that I might
> > be able to use for this purpose.
> 
> Why should there be one?!

I never said that there "should" be one.  What gives you the idea that
I was complaining about cygwin functionality?  I was simply asking
whether there _might_ be such a cygwin-based utility.  Cygwin offers
the "-W, --windows" extension to ps and the regtool, getfacl, and setfacl 
commands (to name but three) which offer Windows-specific (i.e., non-Linux)
capabilities.  Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable to wonder whether
there might also be some other cygwin utility which manages "hidden" and 
"system" attributes.

But apparently, there isn't, and so I will now figure out why the "attrib" 
command isn't working inside of the cygwin bash shell on my system.

-- 
 Lloyd Zusman
 ljz AT asfast DOT com
 God bless you.




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