Install Button not Working - nothing happens

[quarkrad]

Binary package hint: software-center

If any item of software is selected and the INSTALL button is clicked/hit nothing happens. It momentarily greys out but then returns. This also happens if I select MORE INFO and then click on INSTALL. I can download from Synaptic but not from the Software Centre.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

thanks for the bug report can you please start software center from terminal and then click the install button and paste the logs here. seems like a policykit bug.

[quarkrad (quarkrad)]

Omer,

I'm very sorry - I have problem as a newbie. What do I have to do to
send you the 'log'? Is it some sort of txt file?

Quarkrad

On 08/06/10 09:02, Omer Akram wrote:
> thanks for the bug report can you please start software center from
> terminal and then click the install button and paste the logs here.
> seems like a policykit bug.
>
> ** Changed in: software-center (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
>

[quarkrad (quarkrad)]

Omer,

This is the output in terminal

dad@dadubuntu:~$ software-center
/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/apt/aptcache.py:40:
GtkWarning: gtk_container_add: assertion `GTK_IS_CONTAINER (container)'
failed
   gtk.main_iteration()

Quarkrad

On 08/06/10 09:02, Omer Akram wrote:
> thanks for the bug report can you please start software center from
> terminal and then click the install button and paste the logs here.
> seems like a policykit bug.
>
> ** Changed in: software-center (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
>

[quarkrad (quarkrad)]

Omar,

I do not know how 'paste the logs'. Where are the logs? I assume I should clear them before I do anything. Also - at least 1 other person has this trouble - re my post on Ubuntu forums.

[quarkrad (quarkrad)]

Omar,

OK I have found the logs /var/log/xxxxxxxx - there are a lot of them. Which do you want and do I have to clear it first?

[quarkrad (quarkrad)]

This worked for me - it appears a policykit startup program was launching a KDE rather than a gnome version.

The solution is:

System/Preferences/Startup Applications

Under the Startup Programs tab uncheck PolicyKit Authentication Agent. Click on Add to create a new startup program. In the Add Startup Program window enter the following in the Command: box -

/usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1

In the Name: box give the new startup program a name -I called mine gnome Policy Kit. Click on save and have this as the new 'policykit startup program'. I can now install programs from the Software Centre.

[GMos (gijs-mos)]

I have this problem too.

Running fresh Lucid install with all recent patches on. Kernel: 2.6.32-22-generic #36-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jun 3 19:31:57 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux.

The above does not work for me. However, if I start /usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 from a terminal window, I get:
--------------->>
gmos@roadrunner-u:~$ /usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:3748): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: cannot register existing type `_PolkitError'

(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:3748): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
<<----------------
and while I leave /usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 running the Software Center runs as expected.

Some more info.
Running Software Center from a terminal window gives:
--------------->>
gmos@roadrunner-u:~$ /usr/bin/software-center
/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/apt/aptcache.py:40: GtkWarning: gtk_container_add: assertion `GTK_IS_CONTAINER (container)' failed
  gtk.main_iteration()
<<----------------
And pressing install for some application then adds:
------------------>>
WARNING:root:_on_trans_error: org.freedesktop.PolicyKit.Error.NotAuthorized: ('system-bus-name', {'name': ':1.56'}) is not authorized: org.debian.apt.install-packages
** Message: console message: undefined @1: ReferenceError: Can't find variable: showProgress
<<-------------------

Also tried running Software Center from a terminal with sudo. This gives:
--------------------->>
gmos@roadrunner-u:~$ sudo /usr/bin/software-center
[sudo] password for gmos:
/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/apt/aptcache.py:40: GtkWarning: gtk_container_add: assertion `GTK_IS_CONTAINER (container)' failed
  gtk.main_iteration()
<<--------------------
but installations work fine after this point.

Hope this helps solving the problem.

[Ken Anderson (kla631)]

I had this problem. Upon suggestion on irc i tried sudo apt-get -f install and it seemed to clear things up. It not only affected software center but also synaptic, upgrade center and apt-get in terminal.

[nUboon2Age (nuboon2age)]

THE ESSENCE OF THIS USC BUG is that USC fails silently and inexplicably leaving the new user (the target audience for Ubuntu Software Center) in the dark as to what to do next. Below are listed least three slightly different circumstances that result in this bug.
.
FIXES: 1) Minimally the USC needs to give a) meangful error message that b) provide a course of resolution action doable by a new Ubuntu user. There are probably always going to be circumstances where USC will fail so *at least* meaningful error messages are always going to be a bottom line requirement.
2) Even better would be if USC attempted to resolve the underlying issues that are triggering the bug. So if it is an apt-get problme maybe running running apt-get -f install . (For more see http://www.linux.com/archive/feed/48910 for an escalating solutions for when apt-get fails).
3) One easy partial 'fix' that at least sometimes will avoid triggering the bug is to change the default to have the application menu item run with 'gksudo softwarecenter' instead of its current default which is simply 'softwarecenter'. This would avoid some of the policykit errors.

3 TRIGGERS/WORK AROUNDS FOUND (SO FAR):
1a) In the quarkrad's forum post ( http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1500473 ) according to post #18 he said it "appears a policykit startup program was launching a KDE rather than a gnome version." He did a workaround by
[quote]
 "System/Preferences/Startup Applications

 Under the Startup Programs tab uncheck PolicyKit Authentication Agent. Click on Add to create a new startup program. In the
           Add Startup Program window enter the following in the Command: box -

 /usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1

 In the Name: box give the new startup program a name -I called mine gnome Policy Kit. Click on save and have this as the new 'policykit startup program'. I can now install programs from the Software Centre.
[/quote]

1b) Hazbeen in the same forum thread, reports this workaround worked:
  "Go to: System> Prefs> Main Menu> highlight the Software center, click properties> add "gksudo" without quotes to the beginning of the Command"

1c) GMos' bug report post #7 above described a similar policy kit error resolved by running 'sudo'.

2) In the same forum thread in post #15 urobb reports being able to resolve the issue by removing "ubuntu-restricted-extras" from the repository list.

3) Ken Anderson reported extremely similar symptoms but in addition had to resolve some kind of issue apt-get was running into (possibly with previously incompletely installed packages) resolved by 'sudo apt-get -f' first. Then Software Center resumed normal functioning.

Ken Anderson reports (post #8 above) he's using:
 OS: 10.04 lucid,
 apt 0.7.25.3ubuntu9,
 Ubuntu Software Center 2.0.5

And Ken reported 7/4/2010 on the #ubuntu-beginners irc channel as philw zkriesse duanedesign and newboon2age were assisting him (excerpted from http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/2010/07/04/%23ubuntu-beginners.txt )

[19:55] <win_2_linux> software center, synoptic nor apt-get is working

software center and synaptic start then go gray and quit

Tried apt-get upgrad...

[Fred (fora-bopingouin)]

Hey,
I recently discovered this problem too. It's probably a problem related to PolicyKit, indeed, and we can verify this very simply : the problem is solved by starting the software-center in the shell, via "sudo software-center".

I wanted to add two things to the discution :
1/ the solution proposed by quarkrad doesn't work on my computer ;
2/ the problem can be extended to all the other applications which require a call to PolicyKit Authentication Agent. For example, on my computer, I have exactly the same problem in the screen System > Administration > Users & Groups. None of the buttons work properly, for example "Advanced parameters" or "Add [a user]".

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

Hi! Thanks for your bug report. The bug you describe has already been reported by someone else, so I will mark this bug as a duplicate of the other one. Please continue to report any bugs you may find in software-center. Thanks again for your help!

[Jorge Q (jquiroga2005)]

Maybe the problem in bigger than that, because I have the same problem after reinstall pulseaudio (because headphones don't mute speakers) startup applications doesn't work (specially nm-applet --sm-disable is the most important, maybe the policy kit), Installation by Ubuntu software center the same problem than here, In Ubuntu tweak I cannot unlock anything and some administratives task cannot do since pulse audio uninstall for instance, I cannot change my own user privileges or activate propietary drivers and my folders (Documents, Downloads, Public, etc) in the left panel of Nautilis dissapear and cannot put them n its original place, among others task and weird things. Take in account that my user is a sudoer and all this stuff worked before. Another friend had the same problem and follow the steps to update pulse audio and the same.

I try removing completely (even home directory) and recreate my user from another sudoer and again the same problems. But if I create a new administrator user, it have everything correct, something in another place that have a record for users permissions or something is the problem, because even re creating the problematic user cannot recover its original situation.

I expect that this give you some clues about this problem or still better maybe exists a solution from another problem described here.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

Hi Jorge! Thanks a lot for that last comment. The install/remove buttons in s-c don't work in this case because the policykit authentication agent (the password dialog daemon) isn't running. If the agent isn't running, this also explains all the other issues you listed. The authentication agent should be listed in the startup applications of gnome, but it seems that this is not always the case. For s-c I have resolved the issue (not yet released) by manually starting the authentication agent if it is not running. This is just a workaround, as ideally the authentication agent should be running anyway. It would be great if you could report the issue described in your last comment, as a new bug against something gnome-related so that the right people get to see it, and can hopefully resolve the bigger issue. Once again thanks for your great help and please continue to report any bugs you may find.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

Hi Jorge. I just read your comment in the other bug as well. (And no, your comments aren't noise, they are actually very insightful, as this is the first time someone has mentioned failsafe mode.) If I'm not mistaken one of the 'features' of failsafe mode is that it doesn't start any of the startup applications. The only way to deal with this is that each individual application starts the policykit authentication agent if it isn't running. This is what I have modified software-center to do (available next week sometime). Thanks again for your help!

[ThalesFC (thalesfc)]

I had the same problem, solved it by:

openning the terminal:

sudo software-center [deb-file-to-install]

in my case:

sudo software-center nautilus-dropbox_0.6.8_amd64.deb