worried about laptop!

[waba]

hmm duno if i messed something up, as now i cant seem to update the laptop (ubuntu 10.04) through the update manager or open the synaptic package manager at all - and the icon for the network connection has dissapeared.
im pretty sure its because i messed up when changing permissions...


there were some files in my videos folder that i needed to own, and was doing it fine using chown, but i realised it was only doing one file as i typed in the stuff in the terminal, i.e it wasnt affecting the stuff IN the folders. so i typed

cd ~/Videos/

sudo chown -R username /


thiinkin this would recusively change the ownership of that videos folder.
HOWEVER, i think i have recurisvely changed the ownership of the whole filesystem :/ :/ :/ as i put the

/

at the end of the line in the terminal. now, as i said, things are starting to act a bit funny on the computer - slow to load, cant start synaptic, the update mabnager loads but doesnt ask for admin password and doesnt install anythin, etc. any ideas please?



EDIT haha ok the few websites iv found on this have said iv buggered it all, and to reinstall everything. anyone know a quick and easy way to record all the programs iv installed, so that i can install them after putting ubuntu back on the system? and im guessin i should copy everything in my home directory, and stick it back on exactly the same way in the new install?

[Lorem-Ipsum]

To own everything in your userarea you would type:


sudo chown -R yourusername ~/wheras:


sudo chown -R yourusername /sets everything in the entire system as owned by you and renders it FUBAR.


To create a text file with all your installed programs listed in in, simply type:


dpkg --get-selections > /home/yourusername/installedprogs.txt

When re-installing you may be able to type:


sudo dpkg --set-selections < /location/of/installedprogs.txt
sudo dselectbut I would NOT recommend that.

[Lorem-Ipsum]

That doesn't make a lot of sense...

Why did you have to change permissions on (personal) files in your /home/videos directory ? You ARE the owner !!


Not if you coipied a file in as root or using sudo etc...



What is the error message update-manager is giving you ?
The answer is usually in the error message.. ends with -a usually

Sorry I can't be more specific than that but it IS an AGE related thing... ( I'm getting old and forget little used commands these days)

It will be permissions based as commands that need to be run with sudo require the filesystem to have specific permissions.

[waba]

yep i copied files in as a user on the network, so it wasnt owned by the laptop. no worries now, i reinstalled ubuntu, generated that list...i tried to follow these instructions:
http://www.arsgeek.com/2006/09/19/ubuntu-tricks-how-to-generate-a-list-of-installed-packages-and-use-it-to-reinstall-packages/

following on from your code lorem...but it didnt reinstall any of the programs! apprantly the command dselect cannot be found. no worries though, because i think most of the stuff installed was rubbish...

thanks ffor the help!