fix broken packages

If you go to System/Administration/Synaptic Package Manager you should see a tab that says 'Broken'.

If you don't see it click on 'Custom Filters' first

I find this but the list contains about 20+ items not the stated 3.

Hi,
if you go to section 'Status' it usually shows 'broken packages'.
However, please follow these instructions
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticHowto#How%20to%20fix%20broken%20packages

In the Edit tab I find Fix Broken Packages and when chosen it does in fact find the 20+ entry's I spoke about before.

In my synaptic 0.62.1 I have no Fix Broken Packages in the Edit tab. And Ctrl+p does nothing.

I can choose Mark All upgrades which does nothing either.

To fix broken packages, strictly you can do

sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install

Then you can

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Please tell any error messages...

It's probable that some package isn't configured, you could try opening a console, and typing:
sudo apt-get -f install

and if this fails you can do it directly with dpkg by typing this on your console:
sudo dpkg --configure

that should fix the broken instalation.

Thanks, the first did nothing and turned up o's to upgrade, fix or install.

The second sudo dpkg --configure turned up unknown option -0 and said it needs at least one package name argument.

It's
sudo dpkg --configure -a

This is all that happens with that command. As you can see i tried it three times. <g>

bob@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
[sudo] password for bob:
bob@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
bob@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
bob@ubuntu:~$

No errors, then again, what says
sudo apt-get update

Refering to 'status+broken' you can go to each supposed broken package in Synaptic, right click, reinstall or remove and then reinstall, successive, to get a clue what package is broken.

Please make sure you don't run more than one update app at the same time, either terminal, Synaptic or update manager.

Just in case, is this package on the system?
dpkg -l packagekit
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/packagekit/+bug/257639

Not sure. What do you think?

bob@ubuntu:~$ sudo dpkg -l packagekit
[sudo] password for bob:
No packages found matching packagekit.
bob@ubuntu:~$
bob@ubuntu:~$ sudo ap-get update
sudo: ap-get: command not found

Bob,
first, you don't need 'sudo' if you only ask for viewing something in a terminal, e.g. cat or l or -ls
At any case, if an output requires root permissions the terminal will tell you, only in this case use 'sudo'.
However the good news is 'packagekit' is not installed.

Second, commands are case sensitive, period, hence your command above 'ap-get' will lead to nowhere, because it is: sudo apt-get update

Thanks to everyone here. I am begining to wonder if i really have any broken packages. <g>