Ubuntu update problem

[Paul]

when I did the software updates for ubuntu the other day, my internet connection died (o2 has been awful for the last few days) and now when I try and run it I get this message;

E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem.
E: _cache->open() failed, please report

now when I run this command in terminal I get this message
paul@paul-desktop:~$ dpkg --configure -a
dpkg: requested operation requires superuser privilege

hellllp!

[onomatopoeia]

The last bit tells me two things. (1) you are logged in as a user other than root ("paul") and (2) you need to be root (aka "superuser").

Therefore you should log in as root. I'm always root so I don't see things like this. Haven't wiped my hard disk yet :lol.

If your machine refuses root logins (many that boot straight to X do this for example) then type su and enter the root password. That gives you what is effectively a root shell. If you are feeling cautions then sudo as a restricted user can also work. Not a fan, it's an extra layer of faff. I'd not do well in a corporate environment I think.

[silver]

yep - just try logging in as root (as above)

sudo is a 'good thing',. and you can set to allow sudo w/o a password,. so could login as normal user then "sudo sh" w/o needing to type in a password, also means you can give root access w/o needing to tell them what root password is set

[Paul]

did not know the admin password :eek:

but your hint worked fine sliver :) cheers :D

[silver]

ah once you are root you can set the password for root, just type

passwd

:)