Can't get updates

[fletcher]

I do not understand it. Every time I have tried LMDE, I am unable to get updates. The update manager just will not connect to download the packages. Everything else works fine, including Internet.

But update manager fails to fetch anything. Crashes as it is downloading package info 29 of 63. Has anyone else had this problem? How can I fix it?

Thanks to all who help.

[craigevil]

Try using apt-get
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get dist-upgrade

and Post the output of

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inxi -Sr

[CapitalG]

the only thing that updates for me is chrome. i never see any updates come in? im new to lmde should i run those commands instead when im looking for updates in the manager?

[zerozero]

CapitalG,
if you run

Code: Select all

apt update && apt dist-upgrade

that's all you need to have your system fully updated (you should see FF12 and TB12 now)
apart from that, latest is kind of a frozen system, you won't see updates daily, only around the new UP (excluding from this the pkgs that come from Mint, those are not tided to the update-pack policy)

[Inkit]

fletcher said
Crashes as it is downloading package info 29 of 63

The only time this has happened to me is when my net connection is slow for some reason, or when the servers at mint are busy. whenever a new update comes up, all users will be updating at the same time and in many cases waiting for a day will set things right. If this is not the reason, I'm not sure why the update manager is causing problems for you. Have you tried reinstalling it. Remove the package fully and reinstall it again and see if it works better.

[CapitalG]

thanks for that. does that make the system less secure without any security updates coming in on a regular basis?

[Inkit]

Your question opens up a can of worms. Ideally any operating system should not have any security flaws, but then this kind of OS will probably be available only in Heaven. In reality most OS's aren't perfect and there are people out there whose only job in life is to find these flaws. now, some of them are motivated by good intentions, they want to identify the flaws and let the developers know so that they can plug them. others just want to exploit them.
The problem comes because however you look at it, there will always be a delay between a security hole and the update plug for this hole. Ideally this update will come within a few hours of the hole being identified, but then we do not live in an ideal world.
What this means is that by the time an update comes, you have already been running the system, with the hole for anywhere between a few days to a few months or more. So one more day is not going to make much of a difference, is it?
Is this ideal? Definitely not. But that's what we get and that's what we have to live with.

And just so that you don't get the wrong impression, just check around as to how many security flaws Windows has plugged and how long they have taken to plug this. You'd be surprised at the answer. People in fact don't like to use ie anymore because some issues have not been taken care of across a few upgrades!
And Mac is no different either. If check through articles in ars technica and OS news you'll find how many millions of systems have been infected. And to make matters worse Apple actually advised its dealers not to do anything about the infection even months after it had become apparent that there was a virus because they did not have a plug for it.