gui software updater error

ubuntu 18.04.4 lts 64bit

will not upgrade/update the downloaded upgrades/updates because of this error:


dpkg: unrecoverable fatal error, aborting:
reading files list for package 'libreoffice-common': Input/output error
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

how do get apt to delete the downloaded upg/upd(s) and redownload?.

or how do i fix the above error to get the gui software updater to work again?

and how do i get rid of this file?
/var/crash/_usr_lib_update-notifier_apt_check.py.0.crash

thanks.

edit:

current kernel: 4.15.0-76-generic [so said: ls /boot | grep vmlinuz]

i think part of the upd/upg has kernel 5