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Ok so I downloaded the newest version of Ubuntu after a long period of not touching my laptop. Now, when I open up the .exe file, archive manager tells me, An error occurred while opening the archive. So basically I can't update. I am not fluid in Ubuntu. Can anyone help?

Adam Edwards
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2 Answers2

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It's not clear what you're trying to achieve: What is this .exe file and what does it have to do with updates? .exe files are usually Windows executable files, so I doubt you'll be able to click on it and have it do what you want.

  1. If you want to update all of your packages (applications),

A very standard way to do this is to open a terminal (press Ctrl + Alt + T) , type these two commands that use the "apt-get" package:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

(You will need to put in an administrative password) There are other ways to update software, but this is probably the most common for ubuntu. Also, depending on your choices on install, the application "Software & Updates" should automatically open and tell you when updates are available.

  1. If you want to install new software:

You can use the Ubuntu Software Center App which may be the easiest way if you're not familiar with the command line (click the Dash on the top left, type Ubuntu software, and click on it when it comes up).

If you known the name of the program, you can use the terminal again instead:

sudo apt-get install <program-name>

Replace with the name of the application/package, like sudo apt-get install firefox.

If you have a guess of what the name is but don't remember, like I wanted a package that I know has "spell" in the name, you could look for it like this:

sudo apt-cache search spell

This will spit out a list of packages that match that search. Keep in mind it's case sensitive.

Again, I'm totally guessing that these are your questions. Right now as it stands, I don't think your question makes much sense, so check out my question at the beginning of this answer.

dannit
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  • Very helpful. Thank you for the commands and advice. Apologize for my lack of clarity. – Adam Edwards Sep 06 '15 at 22:10
  • This is very useful, but did not fix my archive manager problem. I am trying to install Guild Wars, a game, from DVD drive. I open the folder, click on the setup.exe file, and archive manager tell me,"An error occurred while opening the archive." I have no idea what to do about this situation? I think I updated correctly, but I am not sure? Why is installation turning into such an issue? – Adam Edwards Sep 06 '15 at 22:30
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    The problem is that .exe files are Windows files, so they won't usually run on Linux. Unfortunately, a lot of times companies don't make a version that can run on Linux, though this is improving. I don't game, but I hear people say good things about Steam for Linux. If you need to run Windows apps, you can try Wine, but It's hit or miss: Info on Wine: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wine Info on GuildWars on Wine: http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Guild_Wars_on_Wine – dannit Sep 07 '15 at 13:14
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If you want to update you can use apt-get:

First you need to update the package sources:

sudo apt-get update

Then you need to update the packages:

sudo apt-get upgrade

And after that, you need to update your system:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
user447855
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  • Ok that I think worked. How do I pull up the information to check my current version? – Adam Edwards Sep 06 '15 at 22:26
  • To get the kernel version: uname -a. Since you want to install Games or execute windows programs you need wine. I would recommend you to use playonlinux, because you can automatically install Guild Wars 2 with it, I did it, see [this] (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PlayOnLinux) for more details. @AdamEdwards – user447855 Sep 07 '15 at 01:04