unable to download skype

[biffer]

Hello All,

I couldn't believe how easily Mint installed! It recognised my Oki laser printer and connected to Firefox and Thunderbird without any fiddling around at all.

However, I'm having trouble downloading things. For instance, when I try to use the 'Software Portal' to download 'Skype' I get:
Failed to fetch: archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/d/dbus/dbus-xll_1.1.1-3ubuntu4_i386.deb
ditto /main/q/qt4-x11/libqt4-core_4.3.2-Oubuntu3.1_i386.deb

So I then went to http://www.skype.com and tried to download it direct. I got a cryptic message about failure and I should check my connection or something. I've used Firefox for surfing with no problem so something is wrong somewhere.

Any help here would really be appreciated.

[Husse]

This could either be an internet glitch or problems with name resolution
For some reason that I don't understand you can have name resolution forwarded for some applications but not for others
A solution here
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php ... e_programs
Use the DNS servers of your ISP if you can

[biffer]

Hi Husse,

Well, that looks like the problem okay. ('Envy' is unobtainable on my machine which reinforces the conclusion).

Trouble is, I don't understand it at all.

I opened a terminal and typed in sudo gedit /etc/resolve.conf (all very exciting for a newbie) and got:
'generated by network manager, do not edit
nameserver 192.168.1.1.'

I then tried step 2 in the instructions. I typed in sudo gedit /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf and got what seemed to be a page of configuration details for /sbin/dhclient.

I presume that the nameserver 192.168.1.1. is the address of my ISP? If it is, what can I do with it, please?

[Husse]

no no
192.168.1.1
is the address to your router which does not transfer name resolution
All IPs beginning with 192.168 are private and non existant on the internet
The IP to your ISP's nameservers are in the documentation you've got
If you don't find any use the open DNS that are in the wiki

[biffer]

Hi again,

No, I still don't get it. I'd need a step by step layout, screen by screen, and explanations, before I did. Things like 'add IP to the DNS server, etc...' are too much for my very limited knowledge. How does one add? Is IP internet protocol? Is DNS server the number that comes up on an otherwise blank screen?

I think I'll have to come back to Mint when I know more about the guts of Linux. Thanks very much for your replies. I appreciate your attempts to help.

Best wishes,

[Husse]

Hi andyvr4
You are basically right, but sometimes name resolution is not forwarded, and oddly enough sometimes only for some applications. I have to use
http://www.linuxmint.com/wiki/index.php ... e_programs
in my Daryna but not in Cassandra and Celena, but again I had to do it in Bianca
So my /etc/resolv.conf looks like this

Code: Select all

nameserver 208.67.222.222
nameserver 208.67.220.220
nameserver 192.168.1.1

and my /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf looks like this

Code: Select all

# Configuration file for /sbin/dhclient, which is included in Debian's
#	dhcp3-client package.
#
# This is a sample configuration file for dhclient. See dhclient.conf's
#	man page for more information about the syntax of this file
#	and a more comprehensive list of the parameters understood by
#	dhclient.
#
# Normally, if the DHCP server provides reasonable information and does
#	not leave anything out (like the domain name, for example), then
#	few changes must be made to this file, if any.
#

send host-name "<hostname>";
#send dhcp-client-identifier 1:0:a0:24:ab:fb:9c;
#send dhcp-lease-time 3600;
#supersede domain-name "fugue.com home.vix.com";
#prepend domain-name-servers 127.0.0.1;
prepend domain-name-servers 208.67.222.222,208.67.220.220
request subnet-mask, broadcast-address, time-offset, routers,
	domain-name, domain-name-servers, host-name,
	netbios-name-servers, netbios-scope;
#require subnet-mask, domain-name-servers;
timeout 30;
#retry 60;
#reboot 10;
#select-timeout 5;
#initial-interval 2;
#script "/etc/dhcp3/dhclient-script";
#media "-link0 -link1 -link2", "link0 link1";
#reject 192.33.137.209;

#alias {
#  interface "eth0";
#  fixed-address 192.5.5.213;
#  option subnet-mask 255.255.255.255;
#}

#lease {
#  interface "eth0";
#  fixed-address 192.33.137.200;
#  medium "link0 link1";
#  option host-name "andare.swiftmedia.com";
#  option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
#  option broadcast-address 192.33.137.255;
#  option routers 192.33.137.250;
#  option domain-name-servers 127.0.0.1;
#  renew 2 2000/1/12 00:00:01;
#  rebind 2 2000/1/12 00:00:01;
#  expire 2 2000/1/12 00:00:01;
#}

Only I have my ISP's DNS servers
So these two files should do it for you biffer
Of course you have to use sudo, or better gksudo, when you edit these files

[biffer]

Hi Again,

Well, I've been playing about with Skype again. When I try to install from the desktop, where I saved it to, I'm told that I need two extra packages. When I click on 'install' those, I get the string of 'failed to fetch from Ubuntu' that I first quoted. However, I now notice by laterally scrolling along that this is because my connection has 'timed out' If I could find out how to prevent this, it might help.

I appreciate your remarks about editing files but I don't know how to do this and suspect that I wouldn't have the nerve.

[Husse]

The terminal does not bite you
Instead of double clicking the file in question you open a terminal and
gksudo gedit /path_to/your_file
Note that you can open a folder and then right click to open a terminal - then you only need to fill in the file name. The terminal has autocomplete, so when you have written a couple of letters push the tab key and you get your file name (how many letters may vary and you have to distinguish between minor and MAJOR letters)
To be sure open the file and mark + copy everything and paste it into an empty file on your desktop - the simplest way to do copies
Then paste my two code sections into these files opened for editing
Lets hope this helps, because I think the time out you experience is because of this....
Seems a bit complicated, but this is to stop all sorts of "stupid mistakes" we can do. And I can say it's saved my but a couple of times....

[biffer]

Hello Husse,

No, I can't get it because I simply don't understand what I have to do. As I said before, I'm going to have to leave it until I'm more clued up about Linux in general.

I really appreciate your willingness to help. Stick around and you may be able to try once again when I eventually do return. I will because I can see the elegance of Mint.

Many thanks,