I'm sure someone will dissagree but I prefer reiserfs, it's supposed to be faster for multiple small files.

On to your other problem. If the root user made the folder, then as root you can change ownership with the command "chown" as in:
The -R switch means recursive, as in every file beneath that location will also have its ownership changed.

Alternately, you can change file permission as root with "chmod" as in:
It's best to google for file permissions as there is alot of information and options to choose from.