apt-get install not working due to unmet dependencies

ibrewale · 07-25-2005, 04:40 PM

I have sometime in the recent past, started getting this dependency problem whenever I try to apt-get install anything.

Code:

root@box:/etc/init.d# apt-get install gnump3d
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  udev: Depends: initscripts (>= 2.85-16) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
root@box:/etc/init.d#

Reading this, I've tried various solutions, just shooting in the dark.

apt-get -f install

like suggested, no luck.

apt-get install and remove udev and initscripts. No Luck.

How can I get out of this seemingly infinite GOTO loop?

Sorry for a question that is so simple probably to answer. I did do a search on the forums first.

Thanks

leonscape · 07-25-2005, 04:49 PM

So what does apt-get install initscripts return?

gtwilliams · 07-25-2005, 04:54 PM

This seems to be a problem with the apt-get and I hope something can be done in future releases to either make the user more aware of how to fix this problem or to not cause this problem at all. With that said -

It looks like your issue is unmet dependencies with udev. What I have traditionally done is:

Code:

sudo dpkg -r udev

and

Code:

sudo dpkg -r *any title which has unmet dependencies*

mind you, sometimes after you remove the initial title, other titles will pop up with umet dependencies, just run through that sequence again until it works.

Do try the

Code:

sudo apt-get -f install

, it works wonders on occasion.

By the way - gnump3d rocks and is so sweeeet...

ibrewale · 07-25-2005, 06:03 PM

gtwilliams

I've dpkg -r udev, hal and now unmet is gnome-volume-manager.

This is starting to make me a little uneasy.

But, now this jogs my memory a little. I did go through an install of gnome, as it wasn't installed with my original debian based distro (knoppix 3.9).
Could this be leftovers from that install.?

Should I keep on dpkg -r as they keep showing up?

Leonscape, I will look up how to check my apt-get install initscripts and reply back to you.

Thanks to both of you.

ibrewale · 07-25-2005, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by leonscape
So what does apt-get install initscripts return?

Sorry about not including this:

Code:

apt-get install initscripts
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  initscripts
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 66 not upgraded.
5 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B/30.5kB of archives.
After unpacking 246kB of additional disk space will be used.
(Reading database ... 147516 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking initscripts (from .../initscripts_2.86.ds1-1_i386.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/initscripts_2.86.ds1-1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite `/etc/init.d/checkroot.sh', which is also in package sysvinit
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/initscripts_2.86.ds1-1_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

leonscape · 07-25-2005, 06:42 PM

Ah, we have to packages here with both trying to take control of checkroot.sh, So we need to remove one of them. Since sysvinit is base part of your system, removing it is a very bad idea.

So basically your stuck with the method ibrewale has suggested.

Do you have some external repositries that you got some stuff from, becuase I just checked the bug reports and none of the packages appears to have this as a bug marked against them.

maybe you picked a bad one from a backport?

ibrewale · 07-25-2005, 06:54 PM

I'm not sure what a 'backport' is, yet, so I dont believe I retrieved any packages from one. I used the standard apt-get install when I did this. Here is a copy of my /etc/apt/sources.list file though, it is the default one that was installed with knoppix 3.9.

I will continue the dpkg -r fun then, unless someone has any other ideas.

Thanks again guys.

Code:

# Security updates for "stable"
deb http://security.debian.org stable/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org testing/updates main contrib non-free

# Stable
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian stable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free

# Stable Sources
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian stable main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free

# Testing
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian testing main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free

# Testing Sources
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian testing main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free

# Unstable
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free

# Unstable Sources
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free

# Experimental
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian ../project/experimental main contrib non-free

# Experimental Sources
#deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian ../project/experimental main contrib non-free

# ndiswrapper source
deb   http://ndiswrapper.sourceforge.net/debian ./

# KDE 3.4 (not in sarge)
deb http://pkg-kde.alioth.debian.org/kde-3.4.0/ ./
deb-src http://pkg-kde.alioth.debian.org/kde-3.4.0/ ./

ibrewale · 07-25-2005, 07:35 PM

Well, i've been working backwards, dpkg -r

udev
hal
gnome-volume-manager
gnome-desktop-environment (im not running gnome)

well, here is the error messages now, has me a bit worried:

Code:

root@box:/home/jkeeney# apt-get install gnump3d
Reading Package Lists... Error!
E: Unable to write mmap - msync (28 No space left on device)
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
root@box:/home/jkeeney# apt-get install -f
Reading Package Lists... Error!
E: Unable to write mmap - msync (28 No space left on device)
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

I may have dpkg -r my way out of a working packaging system.

I would appreciate any support.

Thanks

juanjavier_xxx · 07-26-2005, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ibrewale

well, here is the error messages now, has me a bit worried:

Code:

Reading Package Lists... Error! E: Unable to write mmap - msync (28 No space left on device)

---Seems like there is no space left on the harddisk....

Try

Code:

df

and post the output....

juanjavier_xxx · 07-26-2005, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ibrewale
Here is a copy of my /etc/apt/sources.list file though,

Code:

# Security updates for "stable" deb http://security.debian.org stable/updates main contrib non-free deb http://security.debian.org testing/updates main contrib non-free # Stable deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian stable main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free # Stable Sources #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian stable main contrib non-free #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free # Testing deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian testing main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free # Testing Sources #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian testing main contrib non-free #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free # Unstable deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free # Unstable Sources #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free #deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free (.....)

It seems you have 'cross-mixed' release-pointers in your sources.list. IMHO I would not recommend you to do that. I suggest you to comment the lines that point to releases that are not what you intend to use, i.e.: if you use "sarge", you should comment out the lines that point to 'testing', 'sid', 'experimental' and the like....

Again, hope it helps....keep us informed.

Greetings.
JuanJavier.

ibrewale · 07-26-2005, 12:13 PM

JuanJavier

Thanks

I guess your right, that should be obvious, I df and found I was filled to the gills, all 20GB.

Must be the tons of music, the frail attempt to get gnome, and all the games I apt-get for my kids (who hardly used them).

Thanks everyone for the help in the forums.

My plan is to reload debian from knoppix, fix my pointers first thing, and then get rid of some of the software I don't need, before getting too excited about everything else.

Thanks

ibrewale