Can I force my computer to ignore the fact that it doesn't have 'permission' to change certain files and compress them anyway?

Question

I'm trying to compress everything on my external USB hard disk using the File> Compress Items option in the Finder. However, every time I try this, it thinks for a little while and then tells me it can't do it because it doesn't have 'permission' to edit such-and-such a file. I have gone into the 'Get Info' panel for the hard disk and tried changing the permissions to read & write for my own account, 'staff', and 'everyone', checked the checkbox for 'Ignore ownership on this volume', and chosen 'Apply to enclosed items...' from the little gear/cog menu under 'Sharing & Permissions' section of the 'Get Info' panel. I have also tried sending the problematic files to the trash, but every time I do so, when I select 'Compress items' again, it just finds more files that it doesn't have 'permission' to edit. I cannot 'repair disk permissions' from disk utility, and when I select 'repair disk', it says that there is nothing wrong.
There is no reason that I shouldn't have 'permission' to edit these files. They are all my own documents and photos etc, or ones that have been downloaded from the internet. The computer is not connected to any kind of network, and there is only one user account on the computer, which is an 'administrator' type account.
My question is -- how do I bypass this 'permissions' problem? Is there a way to 'force' compress, like when there is a problem emptying the trash and you can choose to 'Force Empty Trash'?
Thanks in advance for any aid or advice,
lsrw.

Answer 1

You caant get the'a from he'a. 
You could have it wake at 2:55 and then shutdown at 3:00 but then it won't wake in the morning.
Not shure why you want to shut down instead of sleep.  It uses only a small amount energy sleeping with the display off.  It would probably use more energy to have it wake up in the morning before you get there than to have it sleep all night.
If you are having battery issues you should replace the battery.  I have seen it stated elsewhere in this community as batteries go bad they can damage the system.  Your's might not be near that state but you should consider replacing it.
With it plugged in there should be no difference in the charge on the battery whether it is sleeping or shutdown.  It charges in both states and maintains a full charge while plugged in.