Have you rebooted??????????????

I know this sort of thing can be very frustrating... Your subject mentioned
a bad repository; is it correct to assume this is an error that was given
after trying to install some software? Often if something happens during
install or download, it can be fixed with synaptic or terminal commands
similar to "sudo apt-get -f install " where you
replace" " with the name of the binary you are trying to
install... alternatively "sudo apt-get --purge remove "
(adding the "purge" option should clear all config files as well as removing
install files of a given program)... but the best solution can actually be
very different depending on the senario.

What may help others help you the most would be to include a link to the
directions you were following, as well as pointing out at which point during
the install you got an error and what specifically the error was.

Yes, I've rebooted. I can't use the command I was given in Terminal, can't use
Synaptic, can't run Software list, can't run update manager.
Also can't just delete the buggered files.
I've tried running the safe mode to clean stuff up, it can't find certain files,
and it just sits at what I would call the CPrompt in Dos.
I've got a book on Ubuntu, but I will be damned if I can find what you are
supposed to type in to run the regular desktop from there.

Most of the book was taken up by using WINE - I'm not. XP has its own hard
drive. Tech books drive me crazy as some tech writers forget that not everyone
speaks their language.

I know I can shove the Ubuntu CD in and start over, but that's a pain.

I'm feeling slightly victimized by circumstances beyond my control.

The repository problem can probably be fixed by editing your sources list,
but first I would try as previously suggested to fix apt. sudo apt-get -f
install
There is also sudo dpkg --configure -a
Between those two commands you can fix most problems.

What the first one does its fix broken packages and the second one will
rescue an aborted install that can happen if your computer locks or similar
thing prevents applications from completing the installation process.

If you know which repo is "bad" then you can use Synaptic to edit the
sources or sudo into Nautilus and navigate to etc/apt/sources.list

Don't panic...I used a Puppy Linux Live CD to repair my Ubuntu 10.10 install
after a goofed up update, I think the power went out. All I did was boot it up
and it offered to fix it, but you can also mount the hard drive and copy stuff
to USB first if you want to, just remember to unmount before you re-boot.

http://www.puppylinux.com/download/

You can also find it via Distrowatch.

I can't run Synaptic. It won't open at all.

I printed out the step by step from this site:
http://ubuntuforums.org/ multimedia

Aren't they legit?

There is nothing wrong with the DVD player. It does just fine in XP. XP has
drivers for it. XP is on its own hard drive. I want to use Ubuntu cause XP
breaks up the file (FAT32) I am not buying any more Windows software, so I'm
stuck.

I'd have to get a print screen of the multiverse file. None of it looks right.
Yet it doesn't look like a traditional malware hack.

If it wasn't for Android, I'd have no idea what unmount meant. What's wrong with
"stop?"

I've worked on cars. You get a transliterated manual from Babelfish, and you are
on your own! We've had English cars and motorcycles. You have to know what a
"spanner" is. Same thing with computers.

That link is to the Ubuntu Forums, where anyone can write a message. I've
written a couple of thousand myself.

The reason people can't help with your DVD problem, is that for almost everyone,
their DVD player just works. I put in a disc, it works, I write to a CD-R or
DVD-R, it just works. The most difficult thing I have to do is press the button
to open the tray.

If I had a problem, I wouldn't know where to start, except at the hardware
level.

If you use Google to try to find help, try adding the word "solved" to your
query.

When an application won't launch for me, I launch it from a terminal and
read the terminal to see what the problem is.

The site is legit but not everything that appears there may be. The forum
itself cannot verify information. Its users will check information, but
there are no guarantees.
I disagree a bit about using Google. I do it myself, but much info will be
dated, especially for a distro such as Ubuntu which changes so much. For
example it could tell you to edit a file such as gconf that is no longer
used in Ubuntu. Or a user can quickly get over his head using someone else's
comand line help and totally wreck his set up. Google is good, but it is a
time consuming crap shoot. If your search skills are good and you know what
to believe and discount then it can be rewarding. At least in a forum others
can serve as a check and prevent bad or dated advice freon sneaking through.
Just be smart and take it slowly.

There are many good books on Ubuntu but it seems you have picked up one that
is not the kind of general introduction that you need. Do you have a large
bookstore that you can get to easily and spend an hour browsing the Linux
section? Nothing beats flipping through the pages and index.

I bought the "Ubuntu Linux Bible" by William von Hagen almost 4 years ago
and it's 900 pages have stood me in good stead. I'm pretty sure it has been
revised since. There are many other good books that take the place of the
"missing manual".

While most things in Ubuntu "just work" there are some issues that require a
bit of searching and expert advice. At this level Ubuntu is probably more of
a challenge than Windows, but that's why this group exists. Rest assured
that progress is being made and there are far fewer "command line only"
techniques than a few years ago.

The almost daily security and bug fixes (instead of once a month with
Windows) is enormously reassuring, as is the freedom from viruses. Updates
are fast and seldom require a reboot. It doesn't get slower as you use it
over the months.

Rest assured that Ubuntu isn't a half baked effort by somebody that doesn't
have a clue what the average user wants. It's the combined effort of
thousands of really smart people and a company that is in it for the long
haul (Canonical). The Ubuntu family (Kubuntu, Lubuntu, etc) is the daily and
often exclusive operating of millions. There is no exact count because it's
given away free and sharing is encouraged.

Did I mention that it's free? ;-)

Learn it at your own pace and you will come to the place where you will
wonder how you ever did without it. It's certainly no harder to use than the
other big operating systems. I remember a phone conversation with a
colleague in the pre-release days of Windows 95. He excitedly told me that
he had lost his taskbar, then phoned back an hour later with the astounding
news that you could drag your taskbar to any side of the screen. Amazing!
Who would have thought it...

Whatever Ubuntu did - it was freaking major. Someone on the Ubuntu forum finally
gave me a command that worked, but it took 10 minutes to do so.
I finally have control over Synaptic, etc. again. I'll wait until the file gets
analyzed before fixing anything else.

I've looked into some of the books. Tech writing just annoys me. Most of the
writers are horrible with antecedants and it seems like a lot of extra verbiage.

I learned how Windows functioned by being able to read the properties, etc of
each file. Can't do that in Ubuntu.

I did start with DOS, so a command line is not unfamiliar - which command and
syntax is.

I've finally got the DVD players sorted out. It was the recorded baseball game.
It was recorded over the air - no cable or satellite. No converter box either.

I think the format is DIVX, but the manual for the recorder doesn't even have a
usable index as far as I'm concerned.

It's not so much I want to copy DVDs from recorded shows, I have an old Sony
Handicam and my daughter still has tapes of all the pets she has lost over the
years. The original download was IEEE1394 which required a pci card. The Toshiba
recorder does use IEEE1394, and I want to make sure that whatever I record from
the handicam can be used anywhere. So I just figured I'd get the
recording/editing, copying down pat before I attempted the tapes.

I'll keep plugging away at Ubuntu. I am not buying any more copies of Windows
since XP does Embroidery software and Photoshop. (I've tried Gimp, but prefer
PS.) I am not interested in any Apple products either. I'd sooner swear at Linux
and learn something rather than be cossetted.

Of course, Linux can handle properties. In fact you have it backwards.
Things work in Windows because Windows makes lighter use of them. Linux adds
a layer of permissions. This is for security which Windows does not take
seriously.

The problem that most Windows users have is two fold. Linux does not use
executables in the same way as Windows. It either has no executables or most
files are executable, depending on your perspective. By changing permissions
you can make many files executable. It does not depend on a suffix which are
largely meaningless in Linux (eg. no .exe or .com). The benefits are that
the OS needs to give permission to make it executable and that requires the
user's input (password). The second mistake is that things do not auto-run.
This is not a short sight. It is intentional. Again it has to do with
permissions. Files do not execute unless you let them. There is a reason
why Linux viruses do not propagate, the few that exist do not catch on so
few are written. Currently there are none in the wild.

If you are frustrated it is because you do not understand the Linux way and
make false assumptions. Just relax and try to discover and forget archaic
solutions that lead to lax security by dumbing the system down. :) Linux
could have gone the Windows route but did not. It is an alternative and not
made to be a Windows substitution. I have never had a problem in Linux using
or mounting a CD. I have used Linux for over ten years. I have had trouble
getting control back from Windows once I have given it access to the CD in a
VM. I have also had trouble inside Windows (no Linux) with getting it to
read the CD properly after switching a disk and it insists that the disk and
its contents have not changed. No OS is perfect, including Linux. That is
why we have forums. But, and it is a big one, we cannot help with
frustration. I suffer from it too at times. It took me most of the morning
to get Unity to work. I was frustrated not because KDE was better. It is. :)
I was frustrated because I could not find the problem. I knew that my
frustration would cause me to want to switch back to my beloved KDE, but I
stuck with it and am writing this in 11.10 with Unity. I am frustrated with
Unity but am determined to learn to use it to the best of my ability, so I
can make an informed opinion on it. (I have used it for nearly a year, so I
must be a slow learner.)

It is a sure fire way to lead to a flame war by making comparisons to
Windows. Do not make comparisons between OSes. They are different beasts
based on different assumptions and philosophies. Do not assume that the
Windows way is better just because it is more convenient. Otherwise we will
have to look at the big picture and take into account all of the time
Windows users spend adding extra protection and maintaining their computer.
Microsoft assumes the OS and the computer that contains it belongs to them.
Linux assumes that it belongs to you. Windows therefore will try to take
control over all drives and files systems. It will ignore any FS not their
own and want to format over them. It will assume the drive is empty or non
existent if you opt not to format them. Windows will even try to install
things without your permission and has been known to lock users out of using
their computer, without warning. Linux on the other hand will offer to mount
any file system. It makes no assumptions about the media and it gives
control to the user. This is, admittedly, more work and sometimes a
challenge until you get the hang of it. That goes for anything new.

You need to resist the Borg and learn the Linux way. Then you will be
happier and maybe learn something new rather than dwell in the past. Windows
is not better, just different. Linux is better, just unknown (except to the
enlightened).

You misunderstood. I could READ almost everything in Windows if I was nosy
enough. Then I knew WHAT to look up. I have stopped stuff from running by
removing a letter from an exe file. These files seem to come in with printer
drivers (I usually install driver only) and HP is particularly adamant about
calling home!

In fact, Deke McClelland had warnings for Windows users in PS3.
He said Windows users are NOSY and I am.

I also have selective software. Photoshop will run under WINE - Designers
Gallery will not. I have tried GIMP and am not impressed. I like the vector SVC,
though. I am not giving up machine embroidery just for an OS.

Used computers are cheap. I can keep PS and Designers Gallery OFF LINE so I
don't need security when everyone drops XP for security.

I never bought into the Windows mystique anyway. When I upgraded, half the crap
would be disabled, or deleted. With PS, I have no need for Paint, I'm a
wordperfect user, so MS Office has nothing I want. I've got IE blocked by the
Firewall. Bing is in the hosts file. Groupon is in the Hosts file.

I have a rooted Android phone. I get a good laugh out of the fanboys.
I will mostly use whatever suits my purpose. If someone did put Ubuntu on a
phone so I could run Virtual Moon Atlas and Stellarium, I'd drop Android like a
rock. If something comes out that gives me even more leeway than Ubuntu, I'll
drop Ubuntu, too.

I do have a degree in Graphic Design. That meant plenty of Adobe products which
were easier for professionals to deal with. If you wanted a document printed,
InDesign, Pagemaker and Quark were the easiest way to get it done. We were also
taught to use a clean grey background on the computer. That's what I've had ever
since. As far as I'm concerned, Linux can do something to keep a plain simple
background as the default. YOU turn on Unity or make the desktop look like a MAC
if that's what YOU want.

Ubuntu has actually been ported to several phones. HTC Tilt and
Tilt2, HTC HD2, and a few others that I'm aware of. Generally as a
dual boot solution with the native phone OS and the port is by
independent developers (battery drivers are still buggy with bad
charge reporting in most cases).

Also, the motorola atrix runs ubuntu on it's lapdock and webtop by
default... though it is locked down to firefox and an image viewer,
when rooted you can install synaptic and get the full experience
(assuming you have time to wait around on the tegra2 processor to do
think and swap out memory as needed).

see also "how to install ubuntu on android":
androlinux.com/.../how-to-install-ubuntu-on-androi\
d/

google and search over at xda-developer forums and you will find a lot
of information on the topic if you have further interest.

I think that Adobe products run best in Windows. You may get some
functionality through Wine and coax some more by using Crossover Office or
PlayonLinux, but things generally look ugly and work not as well. You also
need to be able to navigate file systems to be able to access saved files or
put them somewhere reasonable, other than in the .wine dummy C: drive. It
is of course choice. I would rather use Windows at least in a VM rather than
use Wine, personally.

GIMP takes some getting used to but it is a powerful application. The
problem as I understand it is that the GIMP (lousy name) has few developers
so things proceed at a snail's pace. Users get frustrated because they have
to wait so long for promised features such as single window mode (now out).
However, I do not care. I have used it for years. I used CorelDraw before
Photoshop and when Photoshop came out lots of people did not like its
interface either. People like what they are used to. I use the GIMP and
would not use Photoshop in Windows, but might if there was a Linux version.
I love Inkscape, Blender and Cinepaint.All are free and open source and are
for power users. For novices there are many applications as well, Pinta,
Kolorpaint, Karbon, Pencil, Xaralx, Krita, Digikam, etc. Admittedly few are
well kown but learning an OS is part discovery.

I was reacting to a particular comment about Linux not handling properties
like Windows. If you do not want people to react then be careful not to make
comparisons or say things that can lead to being "misunderstood". Anyway,
good luck in resolving your problem and finding an application that suits
your needs.