Installing skype and failing

[zrcadlo]

Hello linux community

I'm a linux noob, just got linux lite 1.0.8 installed yesterday. I'm using a laptop acer aspire 5920g. I tried to install Skype downloading it from the official site: not to avail! First I tried to install it from the download list but as I clicked to open the file the synaptic package manager would open with a dreadful message: "Software index is broken: This is a major failure of your software management system. Please check for broken packages with synaptic, check the file permissions and correctness of the file '/etc/apt/sources.list' and reload the software information with: 'sudo apt-get update' and 'sudo apt-get install -f'.". So I had a look on various troubleshoots and other similar issues dealt in linux forums and I tried to tackle the problem from terminal but apparently /etc/apt/sources.list is an unknown destination/destination. Can anyone walk me through here?
THANKS A LOT GUYS!

[N4RPS]

Hello!

Welcome to Linux Lite.

Sounds like what happened is that when you tried to install Skype from Microsoft's website, something needed to run it - called a dependency - didn't get installed first, resulting in a 'broken' package. This happens frequently when dealing with non-LL (non-Ubuntu) sources, which is why it's recommended to install software either through the Lite Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager.

Here's the fix:

At the main screen, click Menu > System > Install/Remove Software. A prompt will appear that asks you to input your root password. Once you do, Synaptic Package Manager starts.

In Synaptic, select 'Edit', then scroll down to and select 'Fix Broken Packages'. If there are any, it will 'fix' them, then tell you it 'Successfully fixed dependency problems' in the status bar at the bottom of the Synaptic screen.

You can then enter 'skype' in the 'Quick filter' box at the top of the Synaptic screen. This will take you to where you can click on 'Skype' and select 'Mark for installation'.

For ME, this installed Skype plus all needed dependencies and creates a 'Skype' entry in the 'Internet' section of the 'Menu'. It should for you, also. If not, say so, and we'll go from there.

You shouldn't need to edit your /etc/apt/sources.list file unless you somehow added some kind of third-party repository, but this can also be done in Synaptic (Settings > Repositories > Other Software), or in a terminal with sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list or sudo leafpad /etc/apt/sources.list. Speaking from personal experience, unless someone knows exactly what they're doing, editing configuration or other system files manually can break an install so badly that it may need to be installed again from scratch to fix it.

Hope this helps...

73 DE N4RPS
Rob

[Valtam]

There was always instructions in the Help Manual under Software

[zrcadlo]

Hello guys

first of all thanks for the replies.
N4RPS: as soon as I click to enter Synaptic the message I quoted in the previous post appears: this window prevents me from clicking on "edit" or any other place. It's like, excuse my lack of proper terminology, "stuck" there. The only thing I can do is click "x" to close the window with the message, thus causing Synaptic to shut abruptly. So perhaps the problem here is not with Skype nor the Skype package but on another level. I dunno.

[N4RPS]

Hello!

Thank you for the kind words and the reputation boost. That's interesting. I type 'sudo synaptic' in a terminal (or use the menu) and I get prompted for the root (sudo) password. After that, it takes me to a fully-functional Synaptic Package Manager.

When you first downloaded the .ISO file, did you run an MD5 hash check on the download to verify that it downloaded correctly? I have had LL and other ISOs give me FITS before I bothered to run a hash check on them, only to discover that they were bad downloads...

73 DE N4RPS
Rob

[Scott(0)]

Hi Zrcadlo.  Maybe this will help.  The information below is a copy and paste from the Linux Lite Help Manual.


Other Software - Install popular programs

Skype - A popular voice, webcam and instant messaging client.

Open a terminal and type:
sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner"

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install skype -y

When the install has finished, Skype can be found in Menu, Internet.


The Linux Lite Help Manual location:
Menu > Help Manual

The Linux Lite Help Manual online link:
http://www.freecinema2022.gq/manual/software.html

Skype information within the help manual:
Help Manual > Software Tab (top of screen) > Other Software - Install popular programs

[zrcadlo]

Hello everyone once again,

N4RPS: I did not run an MD5 check on the .ISO mainly because, as a noob, I don't know how to . Am I still in time to run such a test? The situation here it's getting a little tricky: I fear that now I'm unable to download/install the updates (as in menu > install updates): as soon as I sudo access it gives me a line like:
" E: malformed line 62 in source list /etc/apt/sources.list (dist parse)
E: the list of sources could not be read".
What is this all about? Is a linux reboot the only way?

Again,
thanks to everyone (I'm just a poor noob...)

[Scott(0)]

@Zrcadlo
Please run the following command in the terminal (menu>accessories>terminal) and post the result:

Code:

cat -n /etc/apt/sources.list | grep 62

I did not run an MD5 check on the .ISO mainly because, as a noob, I don't know how to

Are you going to do the check in Windows or Linux?

[N4RPS]

Hello!

I do my hash checks in Windows using MD5Summer and an d
MD5 checksum text file. Hash files are usually posted along with the link to the download, or can be found with a search engine...

73 DE N4RPS
Rob


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[bashcommando]

I have a Acer Aspire 5720Z and get problems with skype. Examples being skype crashing desktop environments and window managers(as well as X(The graphics system)), Sound glitches, Incompatibilities, and more. Skype is owned by Microsoft(who made windows) and they could be attacking linux computers on purpose. There are a couple ways to fix the problem though, you can use something like empathy to chat through your skype account, you can get the windows version using wine, or you can use something different like google hangouts. Your choice really. The best of luck to you.