i have updated my sources.list file to install from the unstable tree. did a dist-upgrade and all the other stuff. when trying to install kde i have an error with the kontact-plugins part of it and it says to do an apt-get -f install, so i do that and get the following message

Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
kontact-plugins
Suggested packages:
kdeaddons-doc-html
The following NEW packages will be installed:
kontact-plugins
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 9 not upgraded.
291 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B/52.4kB of archives.
After unpacking 188kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
(Reading database ... 86216 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking kontact-plugins (from .../kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite `/usr/lib/kde3/kcm_kontactknt.so', which is also in package kontact
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

i have done apt-get clean and apt-get autoclen and have also deleted the files in the error message thinking that would work, but not. i added mirrors to my sources.list file also thinking the one i had listed had a bad file on it, but that did not work. i am using the 2.6.7 kernel

any suggestions?

dpkg -r --force-overwrite nameofpackage.deb

In your case it would be dpkg -r --foce-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb

You should also dpkg --configure -a afterwards to get the packages left unconfigured when the error occurred.

ok, one thing though, i get this same issue on two separate computers in different locations. could there be something wrong with the kde packages?

anyway, using dpkg -r --foce-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb gave me an error saying i need to specify the package this is part of and not the actual file, i beleive it is part of kdeaddons.

using dpkg --configure -a ran through ok, but did say there were problems with kdeaddons and kde.

neither fixed the issue though

any other suggestions? i am trying everything. even removing the file from /var/cache/apt/archives, still does not work. i am running gnome so it really inst such a big thing but i do like kde and would like it installed. after all this if i do a dpkg-reconfigure xdm, it only shows xdm and gdm

I think it is supposed to be: NOT

Must be a typofest going on here today it sorry I missed it the first time through should be dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/kontact-plugins_4%3a3.2.3-2_i386.deb, the removals you are using will do you no good there is an error in the packaging and the other error you speak of is IIRC kdelibs-data I think and possibly a couple of other packages just keep using the -i --force-overwrite on them you may have to put them all on one big command line and of course the --configure -a to get the unconfigured.

that worked!

thanks you guys!