All repositories frozen in Linpus, including Live Update

Hello Everyone

I am hoping someone can help me un-bugger my girlfriend's AAO (thankfully she hasn't noticed what I've done yet).

I was installing some packages for her using the default Linpus Add-Remove tool on the right click menu, when the process froze (it was midway through installing a package, the progress bar stopped moving and didn't move for 10 minutes). I valiantly decided to reboot, and on restarting found that the Add Remove option no longer brings up the GUI - there is a brief flash of disk activity but no more than that. I had also previously installed apt-get and the synaptic package manager and neither of these want to work either, they also just sit there doing nothing (I have tried apt, yum and rpm from command line and nothing happens, I have tried synatic and Add Remove from menu options and the GUIs just don't appear). The Live Update option also just sits there halfway through a current update and simply doesn't go anywhere. Thankfully all the programs my girlfriend needs are still launching fine, but its obviously left her AAO a little flawed....

I am guessing I've somehow corrupted or locked something? Is there anyway of refreshing/reinstalling these repository packages without doing a full restore of the entire system and so losing all the updates I've already added?

Many thanks for all and any help!
Ramsey