unable to install updates
 

hi
i have mandrake 9.1 everything seems to be running fine except when i try to download and install my updates, i get a message telling me that they are already installed, though i have never installed them. any ideas??
maybe im doing something wrong, i have also tried different source sites. im on 56k though i doubt thats the issue.

thanks

Re: unable to install updates
 

There is a phase during install where it asks you if you want to update, if you answered 'yes' to this it might be that you have all the updates already.

Anyway lets go over the way to do it to be sure. Run the Mandrake control center, and then select system. There should be 4 items you can select.

1 is RMPdrake with a '+' sign to install rpms, another the same thing with a '-' sign for uninstalling RPM's, then an update rpm drake and a select location or some such. Click on the location select first and get a mirror to use. Then try to run the update service.

I have had similar problems...
 

I have had similar problems of various types and causes with Mandrake Update. My suggestions....

1.) Be sure to remove the source and save. Then re-enter and re-add an update source. Then save, and attempt to update.

2.) You might try to access the update source you select (the one that appears to not be working) and see if you can get into it outside of Mandrake Update. For example, in Konqueror, try ftp://<path to source> or http://<path to source>. This will help you confirm if the problem is actually Mandrake Update or DNS, server full, or whatever.

3.) I have had a situation where the URPMI files (like cache or headers...) were corrupted somehow. You could delete them manually, and I believe I deleted files in /var/cache/urpmi... They should be recreated on next update.

4.) It is possible that you need to do an rpm -e urpmi and then reinstall urpmi in addition to step 3 above.

After trying these things everything started to work properly again... Hope this helps!

ForgiveR

uvone,
I had the same problem when I would log on as my regular user name. But I logged in to the GUI as "root" and update seems to be working fine. I'm 41of 83 packages along right now, a total of 321megs....dial-up blows!

HTH,
Jack

hey thanks for the replies, ill have a play and see what happens.

uvone

when 9.1 first came out it was almost impossible to get updates from any of the mandrake mirrors (as in they wouldn't talk to me). I tried finding alternatives.

Ximian, which makes a desktop, among other things, that used to be set up to run on mandrake, but they decided to ditch mandrake support in the new version, has an excelent update manager called redcarpet. For some reason or another they decided to keep up with redcarpet and not the desktop, which annoys but that's another rant. The thing I like is that it has a non-gui version called rug that's really convenient called rug.

eh, I like it and thought I'd pass it on.
http://www.ximian.com/products/redcarpet/download.html
(unfortunately, it only supports 9.1)