Stuck at "Refreshing software cache" after enabling repository not updated for Eoan

[Efthimios Chaskaris]

Steps to reproduce:
1. Open Software and Updates
2. Go to "other software" and enable, for example, a repository disabled during upgrade to Eoan which is not updated for Eoan yet
3. Press close and then reload on the dialog that opens.
4. Refreshing software cache dialog is stuck

After closing the dialogs by right clicking on the windows and the open apps bar, re opening Software and updates only shows a white square you can't interact with.

Ubuntu 19.10

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Muhammad Arslan Aslam (arximughal)]

Any update on this? I just upgraded to Ubuntu 19.10 and I see the same issue!

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report, could you add your 'journalctl -b 0' log after getting the issue?

[Efthimios Chaskaris (echaskaris)]

How do I output all at once or in a file? It shows in pages

[Efthimios Chaskaris (echaskaris)]

Never mind I got it.

[Olav Bringedal (olav-bringedal)]

it is possible to kill it from the application menu. a retry provided this for me

jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 dbus-daemon[1791]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='org.freedesktop.PackageKit' unit='packagekit.service' requested by ':1.8610' (uid=1001 pid=15523 comm="/usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/software-pro
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 systemd[1]: Starting PackageKit Daemon...
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 PackageKit[30099]: daemon start
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 dbus-daemon[1791]: [system] Successfully activated service 'org.freedesktop.PackageKit'
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 systemd[1]: Started PackageKit Daemon.
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 PackageKit[30099]: uid 1001 is trying to obtain org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh auth (only_trusted:0)
jan. 21 10:20:25 it009239 PackageKit[30099]: uid 1001 obtained auth for org.freedesktop.packagekit.system-sources-refresh
jan. 21 10:20:26 it009239 systemd-resolved[1633]: Server returned error NXDOMAIN, mitigating potential DNS violation DVE-2018-0001, retrying transaction with reduced feature level UDP.
jan. 21 10:20:26 it009239 systemd-resolved[1633]: Server returned error NXDOMAIN, mitigating potential DNS violation DVE-2018-0001, retrying transaction with reduced feature level UDP.
jan. 21 10:20:28 it009239 kernel: [UFW BLOCK] IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=44:8a:5b:c1:25:36:00:a3:d1:5a:b4:f0:08:00 SRC=91.206.34.210 DST=129.177.9.239 LEN=60 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=51 ID=0 PROTO=TCP SPT=52250 DPT=34436 WINDOW=14600 RES=0x00 SY
jan. 21 10:20:30 it009239 systemd-resolved[1633]: Server returned error NXDOMAIN, mitigating potential DNS violation DVE-2018-0001, retrying transaction with reduced feature level UDP.
jan. 21 10:20:35 it009239 kernel: [UFW BLOCK] IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=44:8a:5b:c1:25:36:00:a3:d1:5a:b4:f0:86:dd SRC=2401:4900:360d:1409:74e7:01ca:4ad1:2fe8 DST=2001:0700:0200:0009:6995:6a71:4fa2:efd0 LEN=80 TC=104 HOPLIMIT=239 FLOWLBL=0 PRO
jan. 21 10:20:49 it009239 kernel: [UFW BLOCK] IN=eth0 OUT= MAC=44:8a:5b:c1:

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Santiago Fernández Núñez (santiagofn)]

Can confirm this also affects focal (beta).

[Andrey Sapozhnikov (sapa)]

Focal release is affected as well.

[Abdul Rauf (armujahid)]

I can also confirm this issue in focal

[Arslan Dogar (arslandogar)]

Can confirm this issue in 20.04

[brewmanz (brewmanz)]

Also just got this in 20.04, after 19.10 (fresh install a couple of months ago) requested upgrade.
I added
'sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fingerprint/fingerprint-gui'
but it said gui not 20.04 compatible, so added
'sudo add-apt-repository ppa:fingerprint/fprint'
then went into
'Software & Updates'
and disabled ppa:fingerprint-gui and refreshed - which got stuck at perhaps 100% complete
(Refreshing software cache' with purple underline equidistant from each end)
'journalctl -b 0' file attached (edited to remove earlier & sensitive stuff).

[pateksan (pateksan)]

In my case, I was following these steps:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/60613072/8957293
This lead to a message about an internal error, with a prompt to send details to developers, and it got stuck once I pressed send. I didn't record exactly what package was the issue, but gtk was included in the name.
Not much experience reporting bugs on linux - please let me know if more detail is needed.

[Pachuca (pachuca)]

Also have this problem, but rebooted and haven't been able to retrace my steps.

[Mhamad A. (bluecannonball)]

I also have the problem, and since then, I haven't been able to use software-properties. (focal)

[Mirko Ducic (mducic)]

Hi guys,
I manually fixed this issue with bad GUI representation of process execution.
You have to remove some old or not any more synchronized repositories.
In terminal, execute command: sudo apt update

This will tell you witch repos are bad, examples:
E: The repository 'http://ppa.launchpad.net/somerville-dla-team/ppa/ubuntu focal Release' does not have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E: The repository 'http://oem.archive.canonical.com/updates bionic-oem Release' is not signed.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
W: GPG error: http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates bionic-dell-beaver-osp1-sansa Release: Detached signature file '/var/lib/apt/lists/partial/dell.archive.canonical.com_updates_dists_bionic-dell-beaver-osp1-sansa_Release.gpg' is in unsupported binary format
E: The repository 'http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates bionic-dell-beaver-osp1-sansa Release' is not signed.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
W: GPG error: http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates bionic-dell-service Release: Detached signature file '/var/lib/apt/lists/partial/dell.archive.canonical.com_updates_dists_bionic-dell-service_Release.gpg' is in unsupported binary format
E: The repository 'http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates bionic-dell-service Release' is not signed.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.

Go to Software & Updates, card Other software, find and remove these repositories (you have option for this, remove all with E (error)).

That's it. Do not expect to stuck at "Refreshing software cache" any more.

[John Magdy Lotfy (zorono)]

it affects me too... Ubuntu 20.10

[Patrick Böhm (abfallsammler)]

Hello guys:

First: I'm german, and I think my english is not the best.

I had the same problem. All i did was to get Internet connection.

Sounds simple and silly - but when i got the internet connection, my "refreshing (software) cache" made it till the end (closed itself just like in the tutorial, which i am watching) without problems & without a "send this problem"-window.

My litle life story: I've been frustrated when I was waiting about a night to hope, it would been solved in idle. Now - a week later - i am frustrated with a smile in the face too.

I wish, that this kind of my solution is your solution.

Salut.

[Patrick Böhm (abfallsammler)]

In case your tryin to reset your windows password with "chntpw" and you're getting this message "chntpw: Unable to open/read a hive, exiting..":

Take a look here ( https://superuser.com/questions/1010229/recovering-a-windows-10-password-when-the-partition-is-read-only ) and search for the comment, which starts with: "There is an easy fix for this problem." <--- My next solution. May it be your next and final solution.

And again: Salut.

PS: After the final reboot to Linux I didn't needed to do the steps for getting "chntpw". I was also connected to the Internet from start. But for beeing sure I did this "refreshing (software) cache"-stuff again. I ignored getting "Chntpw" and i was going ahead with my tutorial, where I stopped.

[Patrick Böhm (abfallsammler)]

PPS: I've been running Linux on a USB-Stick.