Hi I have what I think is a corrupt file in the system area.
I can't open update manager, ubuntu software centre,software sources.
when I use terminal I get the following

chris@chris-desktop:~$ ubuntu-bug
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/share/apport/apport-gtk", line 347, in <module>
app = GTKUserInterface()
File "/usr/share/apport/apport-gtk", line 35, in __init__
apport.ui.UserInterface.__init__(self)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 130, in __init__
self.parse_argv()
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/apport/ui.py", line 460, in parse_argv
optparser = optparse.OptionParser(_('%prog [options] [symptom|pid|package|program path|.apport/.crash file]'))
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/dist-packages/apport/__init__.py", line 9, in unicode_gettext
trans = gettext.gettext(str)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 581, in gettext
return dgettext(_current_domain, message)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 545, in dgettext
codeset=_localecodesets.get(domain))
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 493, in translation
t = _translations.setdefault(key, class_(open(mofile, 'rb')))
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 180, in __init__
self._parse(fp)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 273, in _parse
magic = unpack('<I', buf[:4])[0]
struct.error: unpack requires a string argument of length 4
chris@chris-desktop:~$
Thanks for any help

That's a typically spectacular python crash. Some python script barfed.
Can you reinstall from the install cd?

I have tried before to upgrade python via terminal looked like it worked fine.
Yes I can reinstall or well upgrade to 10.04 LTS AMD64, the only thing stpping me is I have a dual boot system and have /home in it's own partition and I'm nervous about getting it wrong.
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00e600e6

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1912 15358108+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 1913 3824 15358140 83 Linux
/dev/sda3 3825 60801 457667752+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 60194 60801 4883760 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 3825 60193 452783929+ 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

I tried this but no good as you can see


chris@chris-desktop:~$ sudo do-release-upgrade
[sudo] password for chris:
Checking for a new ubuntu release
Done Upgrade tool signature
Done Upgrade tool 27s
Done downloading
extracting 'lucid.tar.gz'
authenticate 'lucid.tar.gz' against 'lucid.tar.gz.gpg'
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/lucid", line 3, in <module>
from DistUpgradeMain import main
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/DistUpgradeMain.py", line 39, in <module>
from DistUpgradeController import DistUpgradeController
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/DistUpgradeController.py", line 46, in <module>
from DistUpgradeQuirks import DistUpgradeQuirks
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/DistUpgradeQuirks.py", line 39, in <module>
from computerjanitor.plugin import PluginManager
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/computerjanitor/__init__.py", line 44, in <module>
from file_cruft import FileCruft
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/computerjanitor/file_cruft.py", line 20, in <module>
_ = computerjanitor.setup_gettext()
File "/tmp/tmpphopJU/computerjanitor/__init__.py", line 39, in setup_gettext
t = gettext.translation(domain, localedir=localedir, fallback=True)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/gettext.py", line 493, in translation
t = _translations.setdefault(key, class_(open(mofile, 'rb')))

What I usually do is:
1. boot from somewhere safe (I have about 6 kernels on my Lilo, but you can use a CD).
2. Make a directory under root that you can work from
mkdir /work
3. Untar packages, (or whatever the equivalent is to Ubuntu) into the
work directory. It does not matter what it creates there.
4. use diff to find differences in the /etc and other control directories
>> diff -r -U4 /work/etc /etc > /work/etc.diff
5. search the diff output for anything suspicious, like a file with most of its contents garbled.
6. rename and or backup anything that you are going to change on your
dead system.
>> cp -a /etc/file1 /etc/file1.crash2010

6. Fix, replace, or other, by using the /work directory as a source.
7. When done erase the /work directory.
8. Deal with all the *.crash2010 as you feel.

This has the advantage that no change gets done without you being able to see and backup and supervise.

Seeing as how you already have a separate /home partition, why not just carve 15 Gig off that and create another logical for 10.04. Install into that specifying your current home (no format) at the partitioning stage.
Ubuntu accommodates this very well. Can even revert in need. Next release keep the 10.04 and install into your current (broken) partition. Flip-flop in future - gives you built-in redundancy.