Problems with accessing /etc folder

[azulflame]

I am running Saucy Salamander, and am having trouble using the
sudo apt-get command, and associated commands. Whenever I use it, I am greeted with the error message:
E: List directory /var/lib/apt/lists/partial is missing. - Acquire (5: Input/output error)

After following advice about deleting /var/lib/apt/lists/ and replacing it with a working version, I am greeted with the error
rm: cannot remove ‘/var/lib/apt/lists’: Input/output error. Has anyone experienced this problem, or does someone know of a fix? Reinstalling Ubuntu, while an option, is something I'd rather avoid.

[bc.haynes]

Can you tell us what commands you used to get these errors? That may narrow it down.

[Impavidus]

This is not a "permission denied"-error, indicating a misunderstanding of the permission system, nor a "file system is read only"-error, indicating a file system mounted read only. The input/output error is usually caused by a hardware problem, like a loose cable or a failing drive.

Actually, on encountering an I/O error the root file system should automatically remount as read only, to prevent further damage.

[slickymaster]

Hi azulflame, welcome to the forums.



E: List directory /var/lib/apt/lists/partial is missing. - Acquire (5: Input/output error)

Why don't you try to restore the missing /var/lib/apt/lists/partial folder:
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partialand afterwards run:
sudo apt-get update

[azulflame]

Slickymaster, after running the mkdir command, I get this:


sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partial
[sudo] password for <USERNAME>:
mkdir: cannot create directory ‘/var/lib/apt/lists/partial’: Input/output error

In fact, I get this when attempting to navigate to the folder:


cd /
<USERNAME>@ubuntu:/$ cd /var
<USERNAME>@ubuntu:/var$ cd lib
<USERNAME>@ubuntu:/var/lib$ cd apt
bash: cd: apt: Input/output error

I also get the same error after running the command string as "sudo /bin/bash"

The folder exists, and displays under ls when in /var/lib/

[slickymaster]

Those input/output errors while running commands can also be due to bad blocks on the disk. One of the ways you have to scan your hard drive for errors is by creating a file called forecefsck on the root of your drive, and reboot. Once your computer is booted, that file will be detected and a fsck will be run during the boot process.
Open the terminal and run:
sudo touch /forcefsck
sudo reboot
Alternatively you have the tool Disk Utility which can be called from the dash by pressing the super key and looking for Disk in the search box.

[azulflame]

I was attempting to work on another hard drive, while using this hard drive to hold the files (booted off of HDD B, files on HDD A. HDD A was giving me problems). My (not not a) friend unplugged the SATA cable for HDD A, and corrupted the drive. I had to format and reinstall, fortunatly with little data lost (backups are important. Do not forget this!). It now works, but I did not find a simple solution to the problem.