1: I use Linux Mint for my desktop.
2: Every time I update from the update manager, I get an error message (see below).
3. I close the error message and the manager responds that my system is up to date.
4: Given this error message, I have two questions:
a. am I doing something wrong, and
b. am I actually updating my system regardless of the message?

The message, carefully transcribed in its entirety:
Note that if converted to an emoji, the actual text, with spaces inserted is,"W / : D".

An error occurred
The following details are provided:
W/ownload is performed unsandboxed [I have no clue what that actually means] as root as file'/var/cache/apt/archives/partial/libgpg11_1.6.0-1.2ubuntu4.2-amd64deb' couldn't be accessed by user "apt".-pkgAcquire:Run913:Permission denied)

5. I clearly am not a programmer, but a mere user, so none of this means anything,and I am very careful to never click the "Terminal" button on my taskbar because I would know nothing about how to use it. I do not use Linux because I am a writer of source code. I use it because it does not keep introducing newer and even more gargbaged-up versions, and then cease supporting previous versions.
6. I have been using Linux for some time on other computers, but this is a new, recently Linuxed computer, that I very carefully took tutoring, created a partition, loaded a Linux OS, and then, following more tutoring, eliminated every partition containing any Microsoftheaded garbage. My concern is that I might inadvertently removed an essential component in doing so.

first of all you can use bb code tags to avoid those emojis.: https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...bbcode#noparse
It means you have a file '/var/cache/apt/archives/partial/libgpg11_1.6.0-1.2ubuntu4.2-amd64deb' which has incorrect rights. I would just remove it (as root).
I don't know how it was created, and why is it there. but anyway, you can safely remove from that "partial" directory.

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A sandbox is just an area (often a temporary one) in your system where potentially dangerous things can be done safely.

Also the W indicates that this is a warning, not an error, so it shouldn't do any harm.

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