Broke packages and can't fix

[awe1]

This is my first post... I am too dumb but determined to use Ubuntu so I paid a professional to install it for me (dualboot 11.10 with Win7). When I came home I got a lot of things from the software center. Skype did not have a download button so I googled it and Ubuntu help told me to do this:

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

and then this:

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

The terminal told me "that this is potentially harmful..." but I thought it was Ubuntu language meaning "are you sure?"
Now the computer is mute.
Items cannot be installed or removed until the package catalog is repaired, so I want to repair it but the package operation fails.
"sudo aptitude -f install" -> command not found
Synaptic package manager tells me that I have two broken packages, libc6 and libc6-dev
so I do this:

 sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

which tells me to do this:

 sudo apt-get -f install

that ends up like this:

Can't exec "locale": No such file or directory at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 16. Use of uninitialized value $Debconf::Encoding::charmap in scalar chomp at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Encoding.pm line 17. Preconfiguring packages ... dpkg: warning: 'ldconfig' not found in PATH or not executable. dpkg: error: 1 expected program not found in PATH or not executable. Note: root's PATH should usually contain /usr/local/sbin, /usr/sbin and /sbin. E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

When fixing broken packages in synaptic package manager I get this:

Preconfiguring packages ... dpkg: warning: 'ldconfig' not found in PATH or not executable. dpkg: error: 1 expected program not found in PATH or not executable. Note: root's PATH should usually contain /usr/local/sbin, /usr/sbin and /sbin. E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2) A package failed to install. Trying to recover: dpkg: warning: 'ldconfig' not found in PATH or not executable. dpkg: error: 1 expected program not found in PATH or not executable. Note: root's PATH should usually contain /usr/local/sbin, /usr/sbin and /sbin.

I want to become a linux geek but it is harder than I thought. Please help!

[NikTh]

Hello and welcome to Ubuntu forums. Many specialists and professionals volunteer here (not me , i am not pro ) for FREE.
For your problem now , my mind goes to mis-configure sudo . I am not sure for that , but give the output of command

sudo cat /etc/sudoers

. Please just copy-paste the results . DO NOT change anything in that file.
Thanks.

[awe1]

#
# This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.
#
# Please consider adding local content in /etc/sudoers.d/ instead of
# directly modifying this file.
#
# See the man page for details on how to write a sudoers file.
#
Defaults    env_reset

# Host alias specification

# User alias specification

# Cmnd alias specification

# User privilege specification
root    ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
%sudo    ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

#includedir /etc/sudoers.d

[papibe]

Hi awe1. Welcome to the forums.

I believe you missed one word in your command:

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu  $(lsb_release -sc) partner"

I would edit the sources list manually and add the word:

gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Then:

sudo apt-get upgrade

Hope that helps, and tell us how it goes.
Regards.

[awe1]

That was too complicated for the newbie
which repository?
This was under the "third party developers"
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu oneiric partner

[NikTh]

I cannot see anything wrong to sudoers file. So leave it that way .
Now that @papible undertake , just follow his suggestions.

I missed that this word(ubuntu)....is missing .

[papibe]

Sorry about that.

Try this:

• Open the 'Software Center'.
• Then go to Edit -> Software Sources.
• Fill your password on the dialogue.
• A new window will open. Select the tab 'Other Software'
• Look for the line you just added and click edit.
• Add the word 'ubuntu' (no quotes) so that the URI looks like this:
  

  http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu

• Close all windows.
• Run in the terminal
  

  sudo apt-get update

• And then:
  

  sudo apt-get install skype

I hope this time it is easier to understand. Tell us how it goes.
Regards.

[awe1]

well this is getting embarrassing.

Look for the line you just added and click edit.

did I add a line?
Well I added 'ubuntu' in the end of a URI that didn't have it but looked like the example above.
I still have broken packages.
Commands didn't work.
Unmet dependencies is one reason given.

[raja.genupula]

yes do as Papibe suggested and let us know what you got .

[papibe]

EDIT: these instructions were before you manually added the word 'ubuntu'


Don't worry.

The command add-apt-repository add a line to the sources list.

Now that I think about it, you don't really need it.

The last line on the 'Other Software' should be the one you added. It should look like this:

http://archive.canonical.com/

without the word ubuntu.

Remove that line.

Then Go to the top of the list and make sure 'Canonical Partners' is check.

Then again in a terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install skype

Tell us how it goes.
REgards.