Sounds like your system had problems before to installed flash and then made things worse. Do a complete reinstall and try again with a working system. Non-free (restricted software) should already be enabled. <div class="gmail_quote">On Mar 31, 2013 3:24 PM, "Ric Moore" <<a href="mailto:wayward4now@gmail.com">wayward4now@gmail.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> On 03/31/2013 07:22 AM, Colin Law wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> On 31 March 2013 11:54, Charles Smith <<a href="mailto:cts.private@yahoo.com" target="_blank">cts.private@yahoo.com</a>> wrote: </blockquote> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"> But, I've really run up against a wall here. Somebody suggested that I re-install my operating system (!), and I might end up doing that (!!!). Before I go that far, though, maybe I should get the update mechanism working ... </blockquote> It should not come to that. Lets get the upgrade working first. That may tell us what is really wrong with the system. </blockquote> If those hand-installed packages broke something, he might need to do a complete wipe and clean install. Only this time he would do better to check all the little boxes to turn on the third party stuff. It's so dead easy. Ric -- My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say: "There are two Great Sins in the world... ..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity. Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad. <a href="http://linuxcounter.net/user/44256.html" target="_blank">http://linuxcounter.net/user/44256.html</a> -- ubuntu-users mailing list <a href="mailto:ubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com" target="_blank">ubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com</a> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users</a> </blockquote></div>