Fixing Ubuntu 17.04 apt-get update Release file not found

by William Mcmurray

Are you stuck during updates of Ubuntu 17.04 because of errors like those :

Ign:1 http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease
Ign:2 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security InRelease                                    
Ign:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease                                           
Err:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security Release                                                            
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.26 80]
Ign:5 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates InRelease                                                         
Ign:6 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports InRelease 
Ign:7 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed InRelease
Err:8 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.26 80]
Hit:9 http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease
Err:11 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.26 80]
Err:12 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.26 80]
Err:13 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.26 80]
E: The repository 'http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security Release' does no longer have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty Release' does no longer have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates Release' does no longer have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports Release' does no longer have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
E: The repository 'http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed Release' does no longer have a Release file.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.

Well, it's simply because Ubuntu 17.04 has reached its end of life (Ubuntu 17.04 will be supported for 9 months until January 2018) and therefore its packages are not available anymore. (at least, not from where they where before)

It might have happened if you waited too long before installing last updates that where released before January 13, 2018.

The solution is pretty simple, just replace us.archive.ubuntu.com and security.ubuntu.com in /etc/apt/sources.list with old-releases.ubuntu.com and then you'll be able to finish updating.

BUT ! You won't receive further security updates and will still be vulnerable to Meltdown and Spectre !

Development of a complete response to the highly-publicized Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities is ongoing, and due to the timing with respect to this End of Life, we will not be providing updated Linux kernel packages for Ubuntu 17.04. We advise users to upgrade to Ubuntu 17.10 and install the updated kernel packages for that release when they become available.

Source : https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2018-January/000227.html

Prepare yourself to say goodbye to Unity desktop :'(