Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock

basina · 08-10-2010, 04:06 AM

Hi one and all, this is basina and i'm new to linux.
I've installed ubuntu9.04 in my laptop.While i'm installing java, below error is occuring.
Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (13 Permission denied)
please tell me how to rectify this problem clearly.

Thank you n keep smiling

Regards
basina

Meson · 08-10-2010, 05:57 AM

Do you have another package handler like apt-get, aptitude, or synaptics running? If not, just manually delete it:

Code:

sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock

hanzerik · 08-10-2010, 09:53 AM

The only times I have seen an error like that is when I have forgotten to issue the "sudo" command before the command I want to run; mainly the "apt-get install <package>" one.

Should be

Code:

sudo apt-get install package

hewhohasnoone · 09-05-2011, 05:18 PM

Thank you so much! You're right!

It's not that I forgot to add the "sudo" before, it's that I wasn't instructed to. Regardless, that did the trick. Now I no longer receive that could not open lock file blah blah message.