How can I make my Update Manager work again?

Software: Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala)
Kernel Linux= 2.6.31-19 generic
GNOME 2.28.1

Here is the background:

Update Manager shows 121 updates (which include important security upgrades, Recommended Updates & other Updates which include Google Chrome and PlayOnLinux)

However, on clicking 'Install Updates', feeding the password and clicking 'Apply', Update Manager falsely states "Changes Applied
Update is Complete"

It further states "Not all Updates succeeded. For further details of failure, please expand the 'Details' panel below."

That details panel states, “Extracting packages from templates :100%”
“Preconfiguring Packages …
(Reading database … 5% dpkg: unrecoverable fatal error, aborting :
files list file for package 'foomatic-gui is missing final newline
E: Sub-process / usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover: ”

Then the cursor keeps blinking endlessly.
Please help.

What should I do to resolve this?

I opened a terminal and typed in this line:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
I can sent you the error message later.

I tried to remove the foomatic package, and then installing again ( sudo apt-get remove foomatic-gui & then sudo apt-get install foomatic-gui )

However, that too did not work (the error message can be posted on request).

Please help.

Best regards,

Thanks in advance.

You can try fixing Update Manager by opening a terminal and do

1. follow the suggestions

2. conclude the “repair session”

with

reboot when done.

This worked on my 8.04 LTS install.

1 members found this post helpful.

Indian-Art, could you post your sources.list (/etc/apt/sources.list)?

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks Mark,

I'm not sure if I am posting what you asked. This is what I did to get the post.

I clicked 'Computer' then 'File System' then 'etc' then 'apt' then Right Clicked 'sources.list' and opened it with Gedit. I have posted the content below:

# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04.2 _Hardy Heron_ - Release i386 (20090121)]/ hardy main restricted
# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.

# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 10.04 _Lucid Lynx_ - Alpha i386 (20091209)]/ lucid main restricted
deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic main
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic main

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-updates main
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-updates main

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic universe
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic universe
deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-updates universe
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'backports'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
# deb http://in.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://in.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-backports main restricted universe multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's
## 'partner' repository. This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is
## offered by Canonical and the respective vendors as a service to Ubuntu
## users.
# deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner
# deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner

deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-security main
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-security main
deb http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-security universe
deb-src http://ftp.usf.edu/pub/ubuntu/ karmic-security universe
# deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/openoffice-pkgs/ppa/ubuntu karmic main # disabled on upgrade to karmic
# deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-mozi...ily/ppa/ubuntu karmic main
# deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/ubuntu-mozi...ily/ppa/ubuntu karmic main
# deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/bisigi/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
# deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/bisigi/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
# deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/pidgin-developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/pidgin-developers/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main


# deb http://downloads.sourceforge.net/pro...la/mozilla/apt all main


I also typed /etc/apt/sources.list and sudo /etc/apt/sources.list

I am posting what I got in the 'Terminal'

sp@sp-desktop:~$ /etc/apt/sources.list
bash: /etc/apt/sources.list: Permission denied

sp@sp-desktop:~$ sudo /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo: /etc/apt/sources.list: command not found
sp@sp-desktop:~$

I think I am the root user, however, it is not asking me for the password and is denying me permission.

Please could you tell me how to post my sources.list if I haven't already done so above?
Greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks for your help rokytnji.

I think your help has located the bug, however, I don't know how to proceed further. Please could you help me?

This is the output I got from the terminal. Looking at this output, please could you give some specific commands for the terminal which can resolve the issue.

Thanks again.

sp@sp-desktop:~$ sudo dpkg –configure -a
dpkg: need an action option

Type dpkg --help for help about installing and deinstalling packages[*];
Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management;
Type dpkg -Dhelp for a list of dpkg debug flag values;
Type dpkg --force-help for a list of forcing options;
Type dpkg-deb --help for help about manipulating *.deb files;
Type dpkg --license for copyright license and lack of warranty (GNU GPL)[*].

Options marked[*] produce a lot of output - pipe it through `less' or `more' !
sp@sp-desktop:~$ dpkg -Dhelp
dpkg debugging option, --debug=<octal> or -D<octal>:

number ref. in source description
1 general Generally helpful progress information
2 scripts Invocation and status of maintainer scripts
10 eachfile Output for each file processed
100 eachfiledetail Lots of output for each file processed
20 conff Output for each configuration file
200 conffdetail Lots of output for each configuration file
40 depcon Dependencies and conflicts
400 depcondetail Lots of dependencies/conflicts output
10000 triggers Trigger activation and processing
20000 triggersdetail Lots of output regarding triggers
40000 triggersstupid Silly amounts of output regarding triggers
1000 veryverbose Lots of drivel about eg the dpkg/info directory
2000 stupidlyverbose Insane amounts of drivel

Debugging options are be mixed using bitwise-or.
Note that the meanings and values are subject to change.


sp@sp-desktop:~$ dpkg --force-help
dpkg forcing options - control behaviour when problems found:
warn but continue: --force-<thing>,<thing>,...
stop with error: --refuse-<thing>,<thing>,... | --no-force-<thing>,...
Forcing things:
all [!] Set all force options
downgrade[*] Replace a package with a lower version
configure-any Configure any package which may help this one
hold Process incidental packages even when on hold
bad-path PATH is missing important programs, problems likely
not-root Try to (de)install things even when not root
overwrite Overwrite a file from one package with another
overwrite-diverted Overwrite a diverted file with an undiverted version
bad-verify Install a package even if it fails authenticity check
depends-version [!] Turn dependency version problems into warnings
depends [!] Turn all dependency problems into warnings
confnew [!] Always use the new config files, don't prompt
confold [!] Always use the old config files, don't prompt
confdef [!] Use the default option for new config files if one
is available, don't prompt. If no default can be found,
you will be prompted unless one of the confold or
confnew options is also given
confmiss [!] Always install missing config files
breaks [!] Install even if it would break another package
conflicts [!] Allow installation of conflicting packages
architecture [!] Process even packages with wrong architecture
overwrite-dir [!] Overwrite one package's directory with another's file
remove-reinstreq [!] Remove packages which require installation
remove-essential [!] Remove an essential package

WARNING - use of options marked [!] can seriously damage your installation.
Forcing options marked[*] are enabled by default.
sp@sp-desktop:~$

Your sources.list looks fine. It seems the error centres on foomatic-gui package. Try just installing that, and see what it says. "sudo apt-get install foomatic-gui", and see what it says. If that works, then try the Update Manager again.

1 members found this post helpful.

The problem has been resolved. I shall elaborate on it later in this post. I think a power outage long time ago was the culprit.

Thanks Mark & rokytnji

The problem was solved by copying the good (not corrupted) file from my Laptop PC (also running Ubuntu and dual booted) and using the terminal to paste it over the corrupted file of the problematic Desktop PC. I used a pen-drive and then the terminal For instance, sudo mv /home/sp/Music/system-tools-backends.list /var/lib/dpkg/info/system-tools-backends.list ). Good thing the update manager pointed out the offending agents (corrupt files). They were all ".lists" of some kind.
Thanks everyone.