view mode not saving

Hello,
I’ve been unable to get the view mode settings to save. For example, if I
set the view mode for a directory to Info List View, the next time I open
the directory, it will revert back to the default view mode.
I’ve tried checking the “use index.html” box and also checking “Save view
changes per folder”, but neither seem to have any effect.The latter is
grayed out now and can’t be unchecked anyway. I’ve even deleted
the .directory file to let it be rewritten.
Could this be a permissions problem?
I’m using OpenSuse 11 with KDE3.5.
Thanks,
-Tom