gnome-software unable to install updates (Prepared update not found)

[corrado venturini]

Click on 'Updates' and then on 'Restart & Update' I have a message:
Unable to install updates: GDBus.error... Prepared update not found:/var/lib/PackageKit/prepared-update

corrado@corrado-x2-gg-1009:~$ apt policy gnome-software
gnome-software:
  Installed: 3.38.0-2build1
  Candidate: 3.38.0-2build1
  Version table:
 *** 3.38.0-2build1 500
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
corrado@corrado-x2-gg-1009:~$ inxi -Fx
System:
  Host: corrado-x2-gg-1009 Kernel: 5.8.0-23-generic x86_64 bits: 64
  compiler: gcc v: 10.2.0 Desktop: N/A Distro: Ubuntu 20.10 (Groovy Gorilla)
Machine:
  Type: Desktop Mobo: ASRock model: H110M-G/M.2
  serial: <superuser/root required> UEFI: American Megatrends v: P1.10
  date: 05/11/2017
CPU:
  Info: Dual Core model: Intel Core i3-7100 bits: 64 type: MT MCP
  arch: Kaby Lake rev: 9 L2 cache: 3072 KiB
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
  bogomips: 31199
  Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 800/3900 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 800
  3: 800 4: 800
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 630 vendor: ASRock driver: i915 v: kernel
  bus ID: 00:02.0
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics 630 (KBL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.0
  direct render: Yes
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio vendor: ASRock
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3
  Device-2: Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 type: USB
  driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo bus ID: 1-8:4
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.8.0-23-generic
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-V vendor: ASRock driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k
  port: f040 bus ID: 00:1f.6
  IF: enp0s31f6 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full
  mac: 70:85:c2:44:7b:86
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 2.05 TiB used: 9.42 GiB (0.4%)
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Kingston model: SKC2000M8250G size: 232.89 GiB
  ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Toshiba model: DT01ACA100 size: 931.51 GiB
  ID-3: /dev/sdb vendor: Hitachi model: HDS721010CLA332 size: 931.51 GiB
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 31.25 GiB used: 9.41 GiB (30.1%) fs: ext4
  dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 8.00 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
  dev: /dev/sda2
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 43.5 C mobo: N/A
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
  Processes: 224 Uptime: 3h 13m Memory: 7.48 GiB used: 1.66 GiB (22.2%)
  Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: N/A Packages: 1874 Shell: Bash
  v: 5.0.17 inxi: 3.1.07
corrado@corrado-x2-gg-1009:~$

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.10
Package: gnome-software 3.38.0-2build1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.8.0-23.24-generic 5.8.14
Uname: Linux 5.8.0-23-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu50
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Fri Oct 16 18:20:00 2020
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-10-10 (6 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.10 "Groovy Gorilla" - Beta amd64 (20201009.1)
InstalledPlugins:
 gnome-software-plugin-flatpak N/A
 gnome-software-plugin-snap 3.38.0-2build1
SourcePackage: gnome-software
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report, it seems it's trying to apply offline updates which isn't something currently working on deb based distribution and shouldn't be proposed. Do you have that item proposed after a restart still? Could you add the 'journalctl -b 0' log from the system after triggering the issue?

[Burgersim (salzer-michael-y)]

I am having the same Problem on my newly installed Ubuntu SAystem. Is there a workaraound or fix for this?

[corrado venturini (corradoventu)]

This is the log you requested but the system crached when i selected 'Restart & update' so probably the log needed is the preceding one.

[corrado venturini (corradoventu)]

screenshot

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for gnome-software (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Nathan Teodosio (nteodosio)]

I confirm this bug on Jammy. The error message in the notification box is

  Unable to install updates
  Prepared update not found: "/var/lib/PackageKit/prepared-update"

and stderr says

  Snapd snapd_client_refresh_sync: assertion 'name != NULL' failed
  Gs snap did not set error for gs_plugin_update
  Gs not GsPlugin error pk-engine-error-quark:1: Prepared update not found: /var/lib/PackageKit/prepared-update

[Nathan Teodosio (nteodosio)]

I kept clicking the button and at some point it turned into Download, not sure if as a result of insisting or of a completed snap-store update that I had to do manually with

  snap-store --quit
  snap refresh snap-store

[Alexander (kidex)]

It will need to backport the merge requests from this issue to the
version of gnome-software Xubuntu are shipping.

- see https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/-/issues/1114#note_1693917

[Alexander (kidex)]

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/-/issues/1114#note_1693917
-> It will need to backport the merge requests from this issue to the
version of gnome-software Xubuntu are shipping.

[Alexander (kidex)]

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/-/issues/1114#note_1693917
It will need to backport the merge requests from this issue to the
version of gnome-software Xubuntu are shipping.

[Yosha872 (yosha)]

For information, the bug is still there in Xubuntu 22.04.3 (Gnome Software v41.5).

Note: The error message ('Prepared update not found' does only display in Gnome-software after launching the window 'Update manager').
Computer #1 (desktop): I have fix it by doing 'sudo apt update && upgrade'.
Computer #2 (laptop H): I can not fix it because I get 'upgrade command not found' (!).
Computer #3 (laptop T): issue also, nothing tried.
I came to this bug page from the page bug #2008907. Perhaps that this web page may be useful until Xubuntu team does fix their Gnome-software: https://devicetests.com/fix-prepared-update-not-found-error-ubuntu

[Alexander (kidex)]

I got it also in recent version, you need then to go to system software update, and then it is now working. But from a user perspective, not good.

[Yosha872 (yosha)]

Alexander, the trick did not work for me (on 3 computers having Xubuntu 22.04.3).

Note for next viewers: I still had the issue on a second laptop (Xubuntu 22.04.3), and today the issue is gone, it seems it is because I cleared the content of the folder of './cache/gnome-software' then reboot the computer.