cant install applications on computer type i386

Can you copy in your /etc/apt/sources.list and run the following in your terminal "uname -a" and copy the output?

Also, try running "sudo apt-get update" in a terminal and print out any errors it is giving.

okay, but i dont have internet on the pc running ubuntu so i wil have to type in the results!

when i tried to do /etc/apt/sources.list = it says that permission is denied, i only have one user set up!

uname -a = dad-desktop 2.6.20-15-generic #2 SMP sun apr 15 07:36:31 UTC 2007 1686 GNU /Linux

from all of my searching on other peoples issues and what i have messed with myself, i think that sudo apt-get uses the internet, if so it would explain the results that i really wish i could copy onto here because it was huge.

sudo apt-get update = most of the items ended in either "could not resolve 'security.ubuntu.com'" or "could not resolve 'us.archive.ubuntu.com'"
the last line said E: some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

if i need to type in the entire results i will try but it was very lengthy and will take a while.

i appreciate your time in tryine to help. thank you

"nothing in the add/remove applications that is not already checked will download" - yes, well, if you don't have internet it won't. If the message ""?? cannot be installed on your computer type (i386)"." is from the add/remove program, it is likely spitting that out as an idea of why you cant install anything through there - however I think this will go away once you have internet.

All the "could not resolve ... " messages also suggest to me you don't have internet on there yet.

Ah yeah, sorry about that. For /etc/apt/sources.list you will need to access it as sudo, i.e: the root user of the computer. It has the same initial password as your user account by default. However I don't think the problem is from there.

So yeah, all the other issues you are having is because you dont have internet. Good diagnosis - they are all related.

Getting your wireless working is another problem - however, for now, plug in your computer via a wired connection. If this fixes all of the above, then I was right :)

Once you have internet working through wired type "sudo apt-get update" and "sudo apt-get upgrade" to fully update your system. I believe this has restricted-drivers updates and you may be incredibly lucky and your wireless card will just work then. (more likely it wont though)

I have to go, but let me know how it goes, in the mean time search the ubuntu forums on how to install wireless drivers - the words compiling from source you will prob see a lot and need to learn how to do. But updating your system is a first priority. Ok Ciao for now

thank you, i will try to do it tomorrow night (if time permits after work) and let you know how it goes.

again thanks for the help!

okay, now i am having problems getting my modem connected... go figure. i have downloaded via flash drive the driver packet, but how do i install it once i have it on my ubuntu desktop?

depends on what it is. Can you give me the link to the site you got it from (if poss)?

it is either a binary package, and if it ends in extension deb just use

sudo dpkg -i package.deb

else (more likely) its a source package. either:

tar -xzfv filename.tar.gz
tar -xjfv filename.tar.bz2

Will make a directory filename.
cd into filename and look at the reademe and install files. generally (once you have cd filename)

./configure (there may be extra switches to add here, check the docs)
make
sudo make install

Any errors (ignore warnings for the most part) are probably due to dependencies.

before you try to compile from source, check http://packages.ubuntu.com/feisty/ for the binary packages. these are generally a LOT easier to install. You will have to download all the dependencies manually and install them first. it's not the nicest way, but im guessing you dont have access to another ubuntu system (there are easier ways in that case)

i am afraid i am in over my head, but if i am going to install something i would rather install the stuff for my wireless connection. here is what i am trying to do:
this is from the ubuntu support pages. http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/joomla/index.php?/component/option,com_openwiki/Itemid,33/id,installation/

Download the latest version of the ndiswrapper sources from http://sourceforge.net/projects/ndiswrapper and extract it with DONE
tar -zxvf ndiswrapper-version.tar.gz I DOUBLE CLICKED AND NAMED THE FILE AS STATED

This will create the ndiswrapper-version directory. Change to that directory with
cd ndiswrapper-version THIS IS WHERE I AM STUCK, WHERE DO I CHANGE TO THAT DIRECTORY?

if this is the wrong approach, please tell me! i am really enjoying working with ubuntu, but not being able to connect or install the drivers that i need is making me crazy!

what exactly am i looking for from http://packages.ubuntu.com/feisty/ ? i see it has ndisgtk which from what i have read will help with my wireless connection, but again i have to figure out how to get it onto my system!

thanks again for your time and help...

You are doing well! Ok, you need to do this via a terminal. There should be one somewhere in the menu (terminal/konsole etc)

Start that and print "pwd" - it will be in /home/username .

Remember where you saved the .tar.gz file, and change there. I'ts either there or on your desktop probably. so "cd Desktop" then
type "ls"

you should see the .tar.gz file and the folder with the same name without the tar.gz
type "cd filename" ie: cd ndiswrapper-version"

-----------

on http://packages.ubuntu.com/feisty/net/ndisgtk - go to Download ndisgtk and then do the same for everything with a red icon above it... you will need to do the same for everything else with a red logo too. Download all these to a pen drive and get them on linux.

Then install them one at a time by using "sudo dpkg -i package.deb"

did pwd and got /home/dad so i tried:

/home/dad cd desktop is ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15 = bash: /home/dad: is a directory
/home/dad cd desktop is = bash: /home/dad: is a directory
cd desktop is cd ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15 = bash: cd: desktop: no sch file or directory
/home/dad cd desktop is tar -zxvf ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15 = bash: /home/dad: is a directory

can you be more specific on how i need to type it? the new file is: tar -zxvf ndiswrapper-2.6.2-15.tar.gz

sorry.. let me be more clear.

the command "cd" is change directory. you don't need the "ls" on the same line.
Here the terminal is telling you you have entered the path for a directory, your home directory.

eg of terminal commands:

alzeih@bunty:~$ pwd
/home/alzeih
alzeih@bunty:~$ cd Desktop //the squiggle means its your home directory
alzeih@bunty:~/Desktop$ ls //your now in (in your case) /home/dad/Desktop
ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15.tar.gz
alzeih@bunty:~/Desktop$ tar zxfv ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15.tar.gz
(unzips)
alzeih@bunty:~/Desktop$ ls
ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15.tar.gz ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15
alzeih@bunty:~/Desktop$ cd ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15
alzeih@bunty:~/Desktop/ ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15/$ //this is where you want to get

Just to clarify: "ls" is "ell-ess" not "eye -ess".

error:

the command to unzip is either

tar xzfv ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15.tar.gz
or
tar -zxfv ndiswrapper-2.6.20-15.tar.gz

not as above. Sorry.

what can i say, i am a greenie and i am still having problems loading programs, but someone from work loaned me an ethernet card that got me connected to the internet and now i am off and rolling!!

thank you alzeih, you have been very patient and very helpful.

I installed edubuntu 7.04 on my pc with specs PIV,256 MB RAM,160 GB HDD.Many of its educational features like Kalzium,Kanagram,etc., are missing.I also got an error saying that "(Filename) cannot be installed on your computer type(i386).Please tell me a way to get all those features back.I don't have an internet connection

hopefully someone with a little more knowledge will answer, but i think that you can use the install disc to install some programs. i had to have the internet to get the programs that i needed but still had to insert my ubuntu cd into the drive in order for it to install the programs.

if you dont have internet, you might want to take it to a friends or work to connect because after i got connected there was alot of updates and upgrades that loaded from the internet.