Synaptic doesnt allow software updates etc

uncomment commented lines in /etc/apt/sources.list

You could try this sources.list:

deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted universe multiverse

deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse

deb http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://security.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse

Perhaps the server of us.archive.ubuntu.com was/is down or something like that? Did it work before?

On this page there's also a sources.list and infos about it:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Repositories/CommandLine

I tried addding more repositories and that didnt help, i dont know if it worked before this was a new install. So i reinstalled and same problem. i saw in the faq that if behind a router i would need to setup a static IP. That didnt help. However i noticed that while booted into the live cd i CAN run the updates. as soon as its installed it doesnt work. A friend suggested that maybe its a bad burn even tho the disc checked out fine, so ive redownloaded, reburned, and am currently reinstalling. Ill add another comment afterwards.

try to "sudo apt-get update" in a terminal, followed by "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade"

same thing , cant connect. errors as foolow. i only copied from first command as they are all the same.

Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release.gpg
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release.gpg
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates Release
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Packages
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Packages
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Sources
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Sources
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Packages
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Packages
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Sources
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Sources
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Packages
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Packages
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Sources
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Sources
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Packages
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Packages
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/main Sources
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Err http://us.archive.ubuntu.com dapper-updates/restricted Sources
  Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper/Release.gpg Co nnection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper-updates/Release .gpg Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper/main/binary-i38 6/Packages.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper/restricted/bina ry-i386/Packages.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper/main/source/Sou rces.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper/restricted/sour ce/Sources.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper-updates/main/bi nary-i386/Packages.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper-updates/restric ted/binary-i386/Packages.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper-updates/main/so urce/Sources.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Failed to fetch http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/dapper-updates/restric ted/source/Sources.gz Connection failed [IP: 82.211.81.151 80]
Reading package lists... Done
E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

Look at /etc/apt/apt.conf
In that file you can configure a proxy and so, so it's possible that apt system is trying to connect through it.
If your internet connection is direct, simply rename that file and try it again.
Good luck.

Prota

this worked Prota! the contents of this file is Acquire::http::Proxy "false"; all i did was rename the file to nothing.conf and it worked. Many thanks!