My update manager refuses to download package lists for updating my laptop.

Hi there,
Try this 1st, n see if it works.

$ sudo apt-get clean
$ cd /var/lib/apt
$ sudo mv lists lists.old
$ sudo rm -rf lists.old
$ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$ sudo apt-get clean
$ sudo apt-get update

also:

lsb_release -a; uname -a

Thanks

entering any of these lines or all of them just gets a return of
message line command not found. i assumed it was to be entered in a
terminal window. i have the machine id showing with my name prefacing
it, in a line in the terminal editor window. it will not go away or be
removed, and has a blinking box indicating where entry is to be
accepted on the line, but it is not acting as all other terminal
editors have for me in the past. i appreciate the response but i am
stupid in this area of software problem-solving. i have never had a
linux problem before version 11.10. i would like top revert to 10.10,
it seemed the nicest user-friendly ubuntu, but cannot do this on a
slow 3g modem. I have not yet gotten even apt pkg manager to update
the pc to allow the original update manager to run the list download
to conclusion, even though it appeared to be working on several files
and fonts, fonts being unnecessary. even the doc files for this s/w is
too large for my modem, it times out, and fails in large file
downloads for heat, or virginmobile bogus bitstreamrates, their server
cheapness. thank you for trying to help me, i appreciate it.

Quoting MrPen <email address hidden>:

> Your question #188369 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> MrPen posted a new comment:
> Hi there,
> Try this 1st, n see if it works.
>
> $ sudo apt-get clean
> $ cd /var/lib/apt
> $ sudo mv lists lists.old
> $ sudo rm -rf lists.old
> $ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
> $ sudo apt-get clean
> $ sudo apt-get update
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

this gave me the response no lsb modules are available

Quoting actionparsnip <email address hidden>:
> Your question #188369 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> actionparsnip requested more information:
> also:
>
> lsb_release -a; uname -a
>
> Thanks
>
> --
> To answer this request for more information, you can either reply to
> this email or enter your reply at the following page:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

Copy and paste them rather than trying to type them. If you can copy the whole terminal content (including the commands you ran), we may be able to advise.

I was copy-pasting, and this is the same result, always no command
found, and in first line, it would not accept KB input for anything
like the password from linux activity as i set it. nothing. the KB was
not active for terminal window. it acts like something important is
missing, or I downloaded a conflicting s/w package lately? maybe? from
the ubuntu s/w site. This O.S. was load from 11.10 from a cd ISO
created for me by a friend due to my modem being incapable of doing
the upgrading to 11.10 from 10.10 at all, it cannot stand that much
TX/RX ontime, it was 2 hundred MBs. 3g sucks. i can't afford a
broadband conection, so i have to find a real 11.10.x via cd
somewhere, i guess...I was trusting my system to not download s/w that
would directly be known to conflict with important file handlers or
update manager. it happened recently, so it is suspicious. i see
nothing in the download/update history indicating a cause yet.
should i have edited out the $ symbols from the lines? i must be
forgetting something to do here......it has been a long time since i
used terminal editor for anything. i tried to type or change it in the
editor screen, but the KB was not working for the editor screen.

kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ sudo apt-get clean
[sudo] password for kevin:
Sorry, try again.
[sudo] password for kevin:
Sorry, try again.
[sudo] password for kevin:
Sorry, try again.
sudo: 3 incorrect password attempts
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo apt-get clean
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ cd /var/lib/apt
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo mv lists lists.old
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo rm -rf lists.old
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo apt-get clean
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$ $ sudo apt-get update
$: command not found
kevin@kevin-Pavilion-zv5000-PL976UA-ABA:~$

Quoting actionparsnip <email address hidden>:

> Your question #188369 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> Copy and paste them rather than trying to type them. If you can copy the
> whole terminal content (including the commands you ran), we may be able
> to advise.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369/+confirm?answer_id=4
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

You are missing half of each command...

You don't need to add the dollar sign to the command (sorry misread).

Mr. Penn, I suggest you don't add the dollar sign so that it doesn't confuse users

I tried to do this 1 line at a time, i knew not to include the string
symbol, and the second time, it ran through what appeared to be a lot
of downloads, and failed just a few, relating to an apt cd?? so i
rebooted, and it still fails when it tries to download the pkg list,
saying check net connection. is there a program i can look for that
should be installed, but may just be not installed? it seems synaptic
works that way. Maybe it is the manager from the top taskbar dropdown
list for actions, it brings up the familiar update manager, which is
the one failing, but it may be a second version of the same program
trying to run, but some conflict or registry error must now exist??

Quoting actionparsnip <email address hidden>:

> Your question #188369 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> You don't need to add the dollar sign to the command (sorry misread).
>
> Mr. Penn, I suggest you don't add the dollar sign so that it doesn't
> confuse users
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369/+confirm?answer_id=7
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

Try:

sudo cp -arf /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg.backup
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/available-old /var/lib/dpkg/available
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/updates/*
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partial
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo dpkg --clear-avail
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Thank you, i will try it when i get up, it is past time i got out of
here for the night. thanks for all the help here! I really appreciate
it!
                               Kevin

Quoting actionparsnip <email address hidden>:

> Your question #188369 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> actionparsnip proposed the following answer:
> Try:
>
> sudo cp -arf /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg.backup
> sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
> sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/available-old /var/lib/dpkg/available
> sudo rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/updates/*
> sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists
> sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists
> sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partial
> sudo apt-get clean
> sudo apt-get update
> sudo dpkg --clear-avail
> sudo dpkg --configure -a
> sudo apt-get install -f
> sudo apt-get update
> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369/+confirm?answer_id=9
>
> If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
> following page to enter your feedback:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/188369
>
> You received this question notification because you asked the question.
>

this question is duplicate with https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-manager/+question/188412 i think.
Kevin,
Please clarify it

MrPen,
Just to say thankyou for your method here at the top. It fixed the problem I had with 12.04LTE whereby I could not update at all, with continual error messages about not being able to open/parse package info. I Have now been able to update and carry on working as normal.
I am going to save this webpage and note the method so I can remember it if needbe for the future.

Cheers to all the community out there for making Ubuntu work so well.

Reg rds,
 Clanduncan.

You are more than welcome. You can run:

gksudo gedit /usr/bin/fixpackage; sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/fixpackage

Add:

#!/bin/bash

as the top line, then paste all the commands in the text file, save the new file and close gedit. You can now run:

sudo fixpackage

and it will run in one move :)