In mint, Synaptic seems to work fine for me.

However, both Mint's Software Manager and Ubuntu's Software Center attempt to start up but then just mysteriously stop. Running from a command line, mintinstall shows a 4 digit number usually (which I'm guessing may be a process number).
This has been happening for a while. Annoying.

I tried to issue these commands (which seemed to occur), but there was really no effect:

PowerEdge-400SC /etc/apt/sources.list.d $ sudo apt-get clean
PowerEdge-400SC /etc/apt/sources.list.d $ cd /var/lib/apt
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ sudo mv lists lists.old
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ sudo apt-get update
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:3 http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia Release.gpg [197 B]
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring Release [40.8 kB]
Get:5 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:6 http://archive.canonical.com raring Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:7 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates Release [40.8 kB]
Get:8 http://archive.canonical.com raring Release [5,919 B]
Get:9 http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia Release [17.7 kB]
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/main i386 Packages [1,168 kB]
Get:11 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security Release [40.8 kB]
Get:12 http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/main i386 Packages [23.5 kB]
Get:13 http://archive.canonical.com raring/partner i386 Packages [4,279 B]
Get:14 http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/upstream i386 Packages [9,237 B]
Get:15 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/main i386 Packages [118 kB]
Get:16 http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/import i386 Packages [39.9 kB]
Get:17 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:18 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/restricted i386 Packages [9,623 B]
Get:19 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/universe i386 Packages [38.3 kB]
Get:20 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/universe i386 Packages [5,405 kB]
Get:21 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/multiverse i386 Packages [3,864 B]
Ign http://archive.canonical.com raring/partner Translation-en_US
Get:22 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/main Translation-en [61.3 kB]
Ign http://archive.canonical.com raring/partner Translation-en
Get:23 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/multiverse Translation-en [1,826 B]
Get:24 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/restricted Translation-en [14 B]
Get:25 http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/universe Translation-en [23.4 kB]
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/import Translation-en_US
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/import Translation-en
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/main Translation-en
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/upstream Translation-en_US
Ign http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia/upstream Translation-en
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/multiverse Translation-en_US
Get:26 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/multiverse i386 Packages [131 kB]
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com raring-security/universe Translation-en_US
Get:27 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/main Translation-en [673 kB]
Get:28 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/multiverse Translation-en [98.4 kB]
Get:29 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/restricted Translation-en [2,767 B]
Get:30 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/universe Translation-en [3,736 kB]
Get:31 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/main i386 Packages [185 kB]
Get:32 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:33 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/universe i386 Packages [149 kB]
Get:34 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/multiverse i386 Packages [3,864 B]
Get:35 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/main Translation-en [88.5 kB]
Get:36 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/multiverse Translation-en [1,826 B]
Get:37 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/restricted Translation-en [14 B]
Get:38 http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/universe Translation-en [76.9 kB]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com raring-updates/universe Translation-en_US
Fetched 12.2 MB in 19s (642 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ sudo mintinstall
Real-time signal 0
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ 3961

PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $ [YEAH, I JUST HIT ENTER TWICE... BECAUSE IT MYSTERIOUSLY DIED... THAT 3961 WAS *OUTPUT* OF "mintinstall"]
WARNING:root:could not open file '/etc/apt/sources.list'

[YEAH,: command not found
PowerEdge-400SC /var/lib/apt $


Ideas? Thanks in advance.

You may have a problem with a lock file that was left in place when it should have been deleted. Find all of your apt-get lock files:

find /var -iname "*lock*"

Take a look at the properties of each lock file. The properties should show the time of the latest access to that lock file. See if you can find a lock file that is last accessed at the time of the latest failed run.

---------------------
Steve Stites

Here's a bit more, as I thought it might help...

PowerEdge-400SC ~ $ sudo inxi -r
Repos: Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com olivia main upstream import
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu raring main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu raring-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ raring-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ raring partner
PowerEdge-400SC ~ $ ls -al /etc/apt/sources.list
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Oct 10 09:40 /etc/apt/sources.list
PowerEdge-400SC ~ $ file /etc/apt/sources.list
/etc/apt/sources.list: empty

Any tips where to start?
As requested...

PowerEdge-400SC ~ $ sudo find /var -iname "*lock*"
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/include/internal/lockvalidator.h
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/include/iprt/spinlock.h
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/include/iprt/lockvalidator.h
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/r0drv/linux/spinlock-r0drv-linux.o
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/r0drv/linux/spinlock-r0drv-linux.c
/var/lib/dkms/virtualbox-guest/4.2.10/build/r0drv/linux/.spinlock-r0drv-linux.o.cmd
/var/lib/dkms/nvidia-304/304.88/build/nv-mlock.c
/var/lib/dkms/nvidia-304/304.88/build/.nv-mlock.o.cmd
/var/lib/apt/lists.old2/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists.old/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists.old/lists/lock
/var/lib/dpkg/lock
/var/lib/dpkg/info/libfile-fcntllock-perl.md5sums
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile-bin.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile1:i386.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile1:i386.postrm
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile1:i386.shlibs
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile1:i386.postinst
/var/lib/dpkg/info/libfile-fcntllock-perl.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/lockfile-progs.md5sums
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile1:i386.md5sums
/var/lib/dpkg/info/lockfile-progs.list
/var/lib/dpkg/info/liblockfile-bin.md5sums
/var/lib/dpkg/triggers/Lock
/var/lib/apt-xapian-index/update-lock
/var/lock
/var/crash/.lock
/var/cache/apt/archives/lock
/var/cache/apt-xapian-index/index.2/flintlock

Take a look at the properties of each of these files and see if a lock file was accessed at the time that your last attempt to run Mint's Software Manager or Ubuntu's Software Center failed.


/var/lib/apt/lists.old2/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists.old/lock
/var/lib/apt/lists.old/lists/lock
/var/lib/dpkg/lock
/var/lib/dpkg/triggers/Lock
/var/lib/apt-xapian-index/update-lock
/var/cache/apt/archives/lock


------------------------
Steve Stites

Solution:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=147109