[SOLVED] won't let me install a package or remove a package

archie101 · 05-09-2011, 02:26 PM

i tried to remove urbanterror with

Code:

pacman -R urbanterror

and there was an error that said

Code:

error: failed to init transaction (unable to lock database)
  if you're sure a package manager is not already
  running, you can remove /var/lib/pacman/db.lck

and there was the same error when i try to install a package. I recently did a full system update could that be the problem?

TobiSGD · 05-09-2011, 02:28 PM

Have you tried to remove /var/lib/pacman/db.lck, as the message suggests?

archie101 · 05-09-2011, 04:09 PM

no i did not because i did not know if that would mess anything up.

TobiSGD · 05-09-2011, 04:20 PM

Just try it, it is only a lock-file. If your package manager crashes this file will not be removed (it will be at a normal exit) and the package database will stay locked. Remove the lock and it should work.

archie101 · 05-09-2011, 04:27 PM

i know i should know this but i do not how do i delete it i have joe vi and nano as my editors but i only know joe

TobiSGD · 05-09-2011, 04:52 PM

You don't use a text editor to delete a file (have you ever deleted a file with a text editor?).
Use the rm-command, in this case

Code:

rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck

You need to be root to do that.

If you need more help with basic commands, like cd, rm, and so on read a tutorial on these, like this one.