Ubuntu update error with Firefox

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Problem:

Recently when Ubuntu Update Manager ran on my Ubuntu 11.04 for the latest update it generated following error:

E: /var/cache/apt/archives/ubufox_0.9.1-0ubuntu0.10.04.1~mfn3_all.deb: trying to overwrite ‘/etc/xul-ext/ubufox.js’, which is also in package xul-ext-ubufox 0

Reason:

Probing a little further I found out that it is a problem in upgrading to Firefox 5.0 and this ubufox is a modified version of Firefox for Ubuntu.

Solution:

Follow these steps:

  • Open Synaptic Packet Manager
  • Search and mark xul-ext-ubufox for removal
  • Search and mark ubufox for upgrade
  • Apply the changes
  • Now open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and use the following command: sudo apt-get install firefox

Hope it solves your problem. Question, suggestions and feedback are most welcomed. Enjoy :)

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How to reset Unity to get rid of messed up compiz setting

By 3 Comments

I keep messing with compiz and in order to make Unity look better I often happen to make it worse. To get it back in its original setting, I use this command in terminal:

Unity --reset

It takes sometime (seems never ending to me) and a restart after that (I do not wait for it to show that the reset has been completed) takes Unity back in it’s default setting.

How to solve: Ubuntu update error

By 46 Comments

Problem:

Sometimes it happens that running the updates in Ubuntu results in following error:

Could not initialize the package information.
An unresolvable problem occurred while initializing the package information.
Please report this bug against the ‘update-manager’ package and include the following error message:
‘E:Encountered a section with no Package: header, E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-amd64_Packages, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.’

While running sudo apt-get update results in the following error:

Reading package lists… Error!
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-amd64_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

Moreover, Synaptic Manger fails to start as well.

Solution:

The trick which worked with me is running following commands in the terminal (open terminal using Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
sudo apt-get update

Hope it solved your problem. Please do subscribe the blog to stay in touch. Suggestions, questions and feedback are welcome. Enjoy :)

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How to solve: Cannot move file to trash, do you want to delete immediately?

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Problem Scenario:

I have a NTFS drive which is automounted every-time I start Ubuntu 11.04. I created this automount using fstab (Click Here to know how to automount windows partition in Ubuntu?). The problem is when I try to delete a file/directory (using delete button) it gives the following error:

Cannot move file to trash, do you want to delete immediately?

And if I select Yes, it permanently deletes the file/directory without moving it to trash (Permanently deleting i.e. Shift+Delete is not a good idea as you can accidentaly delete a wrong file).

Reason:

You might have noticed a folder .trash-1000 into your NTFS partition, External Drives etc when you are in . This folder is responsible for keeping the deleted files in trash so that you can recover them from trash. In other words, this .trash folder lets you move the files into trash. (The Windows counterpart of .trash is $RECYCLE.BIN which you can see in your Windows partitions/USB drives when you are in Linux). The 1000 in the folder name tells the owner of the trash folder which in this case is user with uid=1000 (This user, with uid=1000, is the first user you create while installing Linux and it has admin privileges i.e. super user rights).

Now. when I check my auto-mounted NTFS partition (/dev/sda5) I found no .trash folder in their. Why? Probably because there is something wrong with the ownership of the partition. This is the content of my fstab file:

sudo less /etc/fstab 
#adding ntfs partition for auto mouNt /dev/sda5 
UUID=01CB76F7C2628FB0 /home/takshak/mount/WindowsDrive ntfs defaults 0 0

Solution:

What I did is I edited the fstab file in /etc folder and added the uid=1000 with the NTFS partition in somewhat following manner:

sudo gedit /etc/fstab 
#adding ntfs partition for auto mouNt /dev/sda5 
UUID=01CB76F7C2628FB0 /home/takshak/mount/WindowsDrive ntfs defaults,uid=1000 0 0

And then I unmounted and mounted it back by using this command:

sudo umount /dev/sda5 && sudo mount -a

Possible Error:

The unmount and mount command may result in the following error:

uumount: /home/takshak/mount/WindowsDrive: device is busy.
        (In some cases useful info about processes that use
         the device is found by lsof(8) or fuser(1))

To solve it, check if the drive is in use (In my case it was being used by Torrent client). Close all the programs which are using the drive.

Further Solution:

It might happen that just adding uid=1000 will not work. What next then? Well you can try adding the group id ‘gid‘ along with uid. Generally gid=1000 works in most of the cases but even if that doesn’t work then find out your gid:

cat /etc/group | grep plugdev Output:plugdev:x:46:takshak

So here my gid is 46 (takshak is my username). Add it to the fstab file in similar fashion:

UUID=01CB76F7C2628FB0 /home/takshak/mount/WindowsDrive ntfs defaults,uid=1000,gid=46 0 0

Hope it has solved your problem. Question, suggestion and feedback are welcomed. Don’t forget to like/vote the post as a token of appreciation. Enjoy :)

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How to solve: No wireless network in Ubuntu 11.04 : Centrino Wireless-N 1000

By 52 Comments

Official Ubuntu circle with wordmark. Replace ...
Image via Wikipedia

Wireless and Ubuntu never go hand in hand. No version of Ubuntu has worked out of box for all wireless hardware. This post is meant for people who has Centrino Wireless-N 1000 wireless adapter. If you do not know what is the make of your hardware, follow this link: Know your Network Adapter.

If your network Adapter is of Broadcom BCM 43XX series, you may want to follow this link: Wireless problem with Broadcom in Ubuntu 11.04

Problem Detection:

Now if you are still here I assume that you have a Centrino Wireless adapter from Intel. Run the following command:

 sudo rfkill list 
1: phy0: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: yes
    Hard blocked: no
2: acer-wireless: Wireless LAN
    Soft blocked: yes
    Hard blocked: no

Instead of acer-wireless, there may be other result as well. If it says Soft blocked: YES that means the wireless is turned off in software. Follow these solutions.

Solution 1:

If you are connected to Ethernet (Wired Network) disconnect it and type this command:

sudo rfkill unblock all 
sudo rfkill list all

Solution 2: 

If the above command does not solve the problem. Try with this command (replace the acer with your result in previous command output ):

sudo rmmod -f acer-wmi 
sudo rfkill unblock all 
sudo rfkill list all

Make the changes permanent:

If the above mentioned solution worked then you might want to make it permanent by amending a few lines in the configuration file so that you don’t need to type these commands again and again on each boot. Type the following commands (again replacing “acer”): 

sudo su 
echo "blacklist acer-wmi" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf 
exit

Hopefully this works for you all! Questions, suggestions and feedbacks are welcomed. If you liked the post then please acknowledge it by liking/voting/commenting on the post. Enjoy :)

Sources: Ubuntu Forums

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How to shutdown the computer in Gnome 3 on Ubuntu 11.04

By 12 Comments

The new and dashing looking Gnome 3 is really a treat to eye-candy lovers. With the obvious improvements there are some changes as well in the Gnome3. One of those major changes is the turn off or shut down option. In previous version the shut down option was on the top right corner, under the user name drop down. In the new version it seems that Gnome has replaced this option. True to an extent. Because the options you will see in the drop down is Lock Screen, Switch User, Log Out, Suspend but no Turn off option.

The Trick: Click on the top right corner (user name) and press Alt. Now you can see that Suspend option has been changed to Power Off… When you click on this Power Off, it gives you the option of Cancel, Restart and Power Off.

Alternate: As suggested by fdeschape:

  • open UBUNTU SOFTWARE CENTER
  • search for “gnome-shell-extensions-alternative-status-menu”
  • install it and then log out and log back in
  • It will be there in status menu

If you liked the post, don’t forget to rate/like the post. Its a token of appreciation that helps me in keeping my enthusiasm. Feedback, suggestions and a simple word of thanks is more than welcomed. Enjoy :)

See Also:

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How to install Gnome 3 on Ubuntu 11.04

By 29 Comments

The default desktop in Ubuntu 11.04 is its own Unity. While some people liked Unity, many just don’t like it in comparison to good old GNOME. The latest version GNOME 3 has been released and is supported by Fedora 15 and OpenSUSE. While Ubuntu has decided to stay away from GNOME, it does not mean that you cannot enjoy the new, sleek and smart-looking GNOME 3. In looks I found GNOME 3 better than Unity. While in functioning (in my opinion) both are similar. GNOME3 can be installed by means of an external PPA.

Follow these simple steps to install Gnome 3:

Installing the GNOME3:

Open the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and type the following command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3

Now run this command to update the system:

sudo apt-get update

Now upgrade the system with the following command:

sudo apt-get upgrade

Use the following command to install Gnome 3 shell:

sudo apt-get install gnome-shell

Running the GNOME3:

Restart your computer. While at login (after clicking the user name and before entering the password), form the bottom of the desktop, out of various available options like Ubuntu, Ubuntu Classic etc choose Gnome Shell. If you choose Ubuntu you will still be in Unity, not in GNOME. Here is a snapshot of my GNOME3 desktop.

A word of warning:

This installation of GNOME3 may break the Unity system. Don’t panic. A simple un-installation of GNOME3 will fix the problem.

Uninstall GNOME3:

Uninstalltion of GNOME3 is done by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge sudo ppa-purge ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3

To get rid of the Ugly themes:

As suggested by a reader staticvoid if you don’t want to be greeted by ugly themes when your pc restarts do:
sudo apt-get remove gnome-accessibility-themes
sudo apt-get install gnome-themes-standard

If you liked the post, don’t forget to rate/like the post. It is a token of appreciation that helps me in keeping my enthusiasm. Feedback, suggestions and a simple word of thanks is more than welcomed. Enjoy :)

See Also:

How to: Automatically mount a Windows partition in Linux on each start-up
How to solve: No wireless networks in Ubuntu 11.04
How to know if I’m running 32 bit or 64 bit Ubuntu?
How to extract .tar.bz2 and .tar.gz file in Linux

How to solve: No wireless networks in Ubuntu 12.04, 11.10 and 11.04

By 400 Comments

Problem:

Recently I installed Ubuntu 11.04 (wireless was working while installing) on my Dell Inspiron N4010 which uses Broadcom Wireless Adapter (How to know which network adapter you are using?). Wireless networks were even available when I used it for the first time after installing. Then there were message from Ubuntu that restricted drivers are available for Broadcom STA (BCM4311) (why did it ask me to download the wireless drivers when wireless was working on the first hand..??). Any ways, I said, why not? I clicked on the activate button. It installed the driver and asked me to restart the computer. I restarted it and there you go. Wireless is on. But it detects no networks. I know there are wireless networks but Ubuntu is not detecting any wireless networks.

Reason:

The reason what I think is some compatibility issues (it’s probably a bug in 11.04) with this version of Ubuntu and the restricted driver because same driver was working quite well in previous versions of Ubuntu.

Solution:

Here is what you need to do. Use other Broadcom drivers. Download these drivers (from Windows or through wired network or a friend’s computer or from wherever you are reading this article :) ).

For 32 bit: http://ie.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/restricted/b/bcmwl/bcmwl-kernel-source_5.+bdcom-0ubuntu5_i386.deb

For 64 bit: http://ie.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/restricted/b/bcmwl/bcmwl-kernel-source_5.+bdcom-0ubuntu5_amd64.deb

(Don’t know which Ubuntu you are using? Click here: Check you Ubuntu architecture)

Now remove the previous drivers in Ubuntu 11.04 by using: sudo apt-get remove bcmwl-kernel-source

Now install the appropriate driver (you have downloaded from the above links). Restart your computer. If restarting doesn’t work try shut down and then start it (strange…but works). Enjoy :)

Alternate Solution 1:

If you could connect through a wired network, this solution might work for you. (If not then check here). The problem is with STA drivers so better to deactivate/uninstall it.

Alternate Solution 2:

People who cannot solve the problem with the above specified method may want to try this one. Here you go:

  • open the ‘Synaptic Package Manager‘ (if you are using Ubuntu 11.10 then install it first from the software cemter) and search for ‘bcm’
  • uninstall the ‘bcm-kernel-source‘ package
  • make sure that the ‘firmware-b43-installer‘ and the ‘b43-fwcutter‘ packages are installed

  • type into terminal:

    cat /etc/modprobe.d/* | egrep '8180|acx|at76|ath|b43|bcm|CX|eth|ipw|irmware|isl|lbtf|orinoco|ndiswrapper|NPE|p54|prism|rtl|rt2|rt3|rt6|rt7|witch|wl'

    (you may want to copy this till the end if it is not visible properly) and see if the term ‘blacklist bcm43xx‘ is there

  • if it is, then type cd /etc/modprobe.d/ and then sudo gedit blacklist.conf put a # in front of the line: blacklist bcm43xx then save the file (I was getting error messages in the terminal about not being able to save, but it actually did save properly).
  • reboot
Hopefully this works for you all!
Questions, suggestions and feedbacks are welcomed. A word of thanks is always appreciated. And if you like the article and the blog then please subscribe to stay in touch.

Sources: ubuntuforums, askubuntu