Ubuntu
update-manager package

Update problem

Asked by abi

I've just installed ubuntu on my computer. I've tried twice now and once I've installed it I get it to down load the updates. It gets some of the way through this before crashing. When I turn on the computer the system doesn't work properly. Last time it wouldn't open firefox or update manager. When I try to open synaptic package manager or update manager I get the following message:

 E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem.
E: _cache->open() failed, please report.

I tried putting in 'dpkg --configure -a' to the terminal but it says dpkg: requested operation requires superuser privilege. Can you help at all? I'm not very confident with computers, so if the solution isn't quite simple then I'll just have to give up and go back to windows!

Many thanks!

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Ubuntu update-manager Edit question
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abi
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marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#1

The "dpkg --configure -a" is asked by the system when a previous update/upgrade process have not completely performed good, and it must run with "root" privileged administrative user.
Using the "sudo" command we can do a command as "root" user, and "dpkg --configure -a" need be run from root user.
After the "dpkg --configure -a" command i add all the usual commands (see below) you can run to be sure your system became fully upgraded.

Typing the commands as sudo the system will ask you for a password, please give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

So please be sure your system is fully updated/upgraded with no pending packages or errors:

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:
(when the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter)

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove

Hope this helps

Revision history for this message
abi (ahatto3) said : 		#2

Yay! It's worked, thanks very much for your help