Unable to edit /etc/apt/sources.list file
Solution 1
Use the default terminal text editor program nano instead of gedit to edit /etc/apt/sources.list
. Open the terminal and type:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
Alternatively you can also replace sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
with sudoedit /etc/apt/sources.list
. Because nano is the default terminal editor in Ubuntu the two commands do exactly the same thing.
The instructions for using nano are always displayed at the bottom of the page. Use the keyboard combination Ctrl + O and after that press Enter to save the file to its current location. Use the keyboard combination Ctrl + X to exit nano.
Solution 2
gksu
is probably set to use su
instead of sudo
as the authentication method. Therefore, it's asking you for the administrative (root) password.
To change this, run gksu-properties
and choose sudo
as the Authentication Method. This way, gksu
will ask you for your password.
You'll notice that the dialog box that asks you for the password changes from:
which is asking for the administrative (root) password to:
which asks for your password to perform administrative tasks.
Solution 3
Solving the problem:
If your root password is correct and you are receiving error from using gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
then use gksudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
and go about the changes.
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Comments
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IronMan007 over 1 year
When I try to edit my sources.list file using the command:
$ gksu gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
It requests an administrative password and when I type the password, It says incorrect and try again.What to do? I am new to Linux and Ubuntu.
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Geppettvs D'Constanzo over 10 yearsAre you using your current password? If so, does your account have administrative privileges? Welcome to AskUbuntu.
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IronMan007 over 10 yearsYes,Iam using my current password and account with administrative privileges. bty using nano editor has resolved my problem. Thank you.
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IronMan007 over 10 yearsUnnecessarily wasted 2 hours of time. Resolved.
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Tulains Córdova over 10 yearsWhy not use simple
sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
? When I do, it open gedit and let me edit the file. -
all4naija over 10 years@ Karel. No, it is gksu that is deprecated in Ubuntu 13.04 not gksudo.
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all4naija over 10 yearsI guess not. I have tried both out myself -- gksu doesn't work but gksudo works as against your launchpad link. It seems that gksu is deprecated in Ubuntu 13.04. It is clear that until you start using pkexec gksudo is the right one to use. There is no argument here though.
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IronMan007 over 10 yearsYep, This is the reason. Got it.