Comment 9 for bug 1527426

Workaround for pepperflashplugin-nonfree install fails "Can't drop privileges"
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On install, this error message occurs...

ERROR: failed to retrieve status information from google : W: Can't drop privileges for downloading as file './var/lib/apt/lists/partial/dl.google.com_linux_chrome_deb_dists_stable_InRelease' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)

Note that the package *does* actually get installed, but its installer script fails to run properly. Lets help it run properly... Run these commands in a terminal window:

#
# Part 1: Copy, edit, then run a modified copy of the script (as user _apt),
# to download the plugin
#

cp /usr/sbin/update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree /tmp

sudo chown _apt /var/cache/pepperflashplugin-nonfree/ /usr/lib/pepperflashplugin-nonfree/

editor /tmp/update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree

    { Find this line, and insert a '#' to comment it out }:

 [ `id -u` = "0" ] || die_hard "must be root"

 ... becomes ...
 #[ `id -u` = "0" ] || die_hard "must be root"

sudo -u _apt /tmp/update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree --install --verbose

 It will download the latest plugin, but then fail with this error:

 chown: changing ownership of '/usr/lib/pepperflashplugin-nonfree/libpepflashplayer.so': Operation not permitted

 Good. Proceed...

#
# Part 2: Edit and run the script a second time (as user root)
# to install the plugin
#

editor /tmp/update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree

    { Find this line, and insert a '#' to comment it out }:

        stdouterr=`APT_CONFIG=apt.conf apt-get --quiet --quiet update 2>&1`

 ... becomes ...
        #stdouterr=`APT_CONFIG=apt.conf apt-get --quiet --quiet update 2>&1`

sudo /tmp/update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree --install --verbose

 Ignore the "E: No packages found" and "ls: cannot access" errors.
 It should run successfully to completion anyway, ending with:

  end of update-pepperflashplugin-nonfree

sudo chown root /var/cache/pepperflashplugin-nonfree/ /usr/lib/pepperflashplugin-nonfree/