Help with updates /installing please!!

[bridges0123]

Ok so i'm new to the whole unix/linux system so any help is appreciated. ok so on to my question, i just put ubuntu on my computer and for some reason i'm not getting the update balloon at the top of my screen for downloading updates, is there a way to make that show up/ does it download all updates? or do i have to go online and download every single little package? also how do you install programs on a computer after i unzip them? thanks!!!

-bridges

[taurus]

What happens when you run these two commands from a terminal?

Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CompilingEasyHowTo

[bridges0123]

i get a message like this

Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 7.10 _Gutsy Gibbon_ - Release i386 (20071017) gutsy/main Translation-en_US
Ign cdrom://Ubuntu 7.10 _Gutsy Gibbon_ - Release i386 (20071017) gutsy/restricted Translation-en_US
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (11 Resource temporarily unavailable)
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), is another process using it?

[brigadoon]

Can you manually check for updates through the Ubuntu interface? Go to the top menu bar an select...

System/Administration/Update Manager

Let us know if it activates.

[taurus]

Make sure you close down synaptic, add/remove, or update-manager before you run those two commands from a terminal.

[bridges0123]

ok so now i feel dumb but i says fully up to date, but why can't i install any of the things in synaptic package manager?? like every time i click on stuff in there or in update manager it says downloading 1-2-3-4-5-6/6 but how do i install those things? like it keeps downloading the same thing but doesn't ever install them it seems, sorry about all the questions i'm really new to this whole OS but i really wanna get it.

[cdtech]

i just put ubuntu on my computer and for some reason i'm not getting the update balloon at the top of my screen for downloading updates, is there a way to make that show up/ does it download all updates?
If you go to "System > Administration > Software Sources" select the "Update" tab. There you can be notified of updates.
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also how do you install programs on a computer after i unzip them?
There are no installable packages with a zip extension. You may need to unzip the file into a separate directory and use the "Package Manager" to install it. Use the right mouse button and select open with "Package Manager" (after you unzip it into it's own directory).

Check the "Add/Remove" before you download zip files, see if it exsist there first.

[taurus]

What are you trying to install?

[bridges0123]

ok nevermind through messing with the update manager i got it to go and now it's installing a thousand some odd files thanks for all your help!!!

[bridges0123]

ok nevermind i figured it out. i think i've got the downloading and installing of programs now, thanks a million!

[forkandles]

bridges0123,
Glad you got things sorted.
I will give Vuze a try. Thanks.