Please help, about to pull hair out!

Trying to install glibc-2.3.2-14mdk.i586.rpm, when I do it gives me a message that says

*the following packages have to be removed for others to be upgraded*

The list is very long and seems to include a lot of what I would consider to be very important files.

I have a nasty habit of learning through my mistakes so I have tried clicking yes and letting the system go ahead and remove them, at the end of which the comp reboots to a black screen asking me to login but will not boot into mandrake, in the end I reinstall Mandrake from the CD and start again.

Could someone please what I should be doing, sorry if Im doing something really stupid but we have to learn somehow.

TIA
Brian

Well, glibc is a very basic package that many other apps link against, requiring the packages to be reinstalled after upgrading glibc...

That being said, if you provided the list of packages it wants to remove/reinstall we may be able to provide more insight.

As I say, its a big list, Sorry


The following packages have to be removed for others to be upgraded:
ImageMagick-5.4.8.3-2mdk
OpenOffice.org-1.0.1-9mdk
OpenOffice.org-l10n-en-1.0.1-9mdk
SysVinit-2.83-5mdk
XFree86-100dpi-fonts-4.2.1-3mdk
XFree86-4.2.1-3mdk
XFree86-75dpi-fonts-4.2.1-3mdk
XFree86-server-4.2.1-3mdk
XFree86-xfs-4.2.1-3mdk
arts-1.0.3-7mdk
aumix-2.7-13mdk
basesystem-9.0-1mdk
bonobo-1.0.20-4mdk
bonobo-conf-0.15-3mdk
bootsplash-1.3.13-2mdk
bug-buddy-2.2.0-5mdk
chkfontpath-1.9.5-1mdk
cups-1.1.16-0.4mdk
cups-common-1.1.16-0.4mdk
devfsd-1.3.25-19mdk
docbook-dtd31-sgml-1.0-6mdk
docbook-dtd412-xml-1.0-10mdk
drakconf-9.0-6mdk
drakcronat-0.1.2-9mdk
drakfirsttime-0.16-12mdk
drakxtools-1.1.9-53mdk
drakxtools-newt-1.1.9-53mdk
enlightenment-0.16.5-12mdk
enlightenment-conf-0.15-20mdk
eog-1.0.2-1mdk
ethemes-1.1-10mdk
evolution-1.0.8-3mdk
file-roller-2.0.0-2mdk
fonts-ttf-decoratives-1.3-9mdk
fonts-ttf-west_european-1.3-9mdk
foomatic-2.0-0.20020913.1mdk
ftp-client-krb5-1.2.5-1mdk
gabber-0.8.7-7mdk
galeon-1.2.5-8mdk
gdm-2.4.0.11-4mdk
ghostscript-7.05-25mdk
ghostscript-fonts-5.50-7mdk
ghostscript-module-X-7.05-25mdk
gnome-applets-2.0.1-3mdk
gnome-control-center-2.0.1.1-4mdk
gnome-linuxconf-0.67.1-5mdk
gnome-media-2.0.0-7mdk
gnome-panel-2.0.6-4mdk
gnome-print-0.36-3mdk
gnome-spell-0.4.1-4mdk
gnome-system-monitor-2.0.1-1mdk
gnome-terminal-2.0.1-7mdk
gnome-user-docs-2.0.0-1mdk
gnome-utils-2.0.2-4mdk
gnumeric-1.0.9-1mdk
gtkhtml-1.0.4-4mdk
gurpmi-4.0-20mdk
gv-3.5.8-27mdk
harddrake-ui-1.1.9-53mdk
initscripts-6.91-10mdk
iptables-1.2.6a-1mdk
kde-i18n-en_GB-3.0.3-2mdk
kdeadmin-3.0.3-10mdk
kdebase-3.0.3-68mdk
kdebase-nsplugins-3.0.3-68mdk
kdegraphics-3.0.3-11mdk
kdelibs-3.0.3-30mdk
kdemultimedia-3.0.3-7mdk
kdenetwork-3.0.3-15mdk
kdepim-3.0.3-4mdk
kdetoys-3.0.3-3mdk
kdeutils-3.0.3-6mdk
kernel-2.4.19.16mdk-1-1mdk
koffice-1.2-3mdk
koffice-i18n-en_GB-1.2-1mdk
krb5-libs-1.2.5-1mdk
krootwarning-9.0-9mdk
krozat-9.0-6mdk
libalsa-data-0.9.0-0.8rc2mdk
libalsa2-0.9.0-0.8rc2mdk
libao2-0.8.3-2mdk
libarts-1.0.3-7mdk
libbonobo-conf0-0.15-3mdk
libevolution0-1.0.8-3mdk
libgnomeprint15-0.36-3mdk
libgtkhtml20-1.0.4-4mdk
libldap2-2.0.25-7mdk
libsasl7-1.5.27-5mdk
libuser-0.51-3mdk
libuser1-0.51-3mdk
linuxconf-1.28r2-4mdk
mdkonline-0.16-5mdk
mirrordir-0.10.49-4mdk
msec-0.36-1mdk
nautilus-2.0.5-5mdk
pam-0.75-25mdk
passwd-0.67-5mdk
pciutils-2.1.10-2mdk
ppp-2.4.1-6mdk
printer-filters-1.0-76mdk
quanta-3.0-0.pre1.2mdk
rpmdrake-2.0-27mdk
scrollkeeper-0.3.11-2mdk
sgml-common-0.6.3-4mdk
sh-utils-2.0.15-2mdk
shorewall-1.3.7c-1mdk
sudo-1.6.6-2mdk
sysklogd-1.4.1-3mdk
urw-fonts-2.0-6mdk
userdrake-0.5-3mdk
usermode-1.55-8mdk
usermode-consoleonly-1.55-8mdk
util-linux-2.11u-1mdk
vixie-cron-3.0.1-54mdk
vorbis-tools-1.0-2mdk
xinitrc-2.4.4-69mdk
xlockmore-5.04-4mdk
xmms-arts-0.4-8mdk
xpdf-1.01-4mdk
xpp-1.1-6mdk
xscreensaver-4.05-6mdk
yelp-1.0.3-1mdk

Wow, that is a big list. And it wants to remove them all? It doesn't say anything about reinstalling them?

You shouldn't have to remove all those just to get glibc upgraded. This rather looks like a bug in Mandrake, or perhaps RPM.

I'm going to bow out here and suggest you have a search for bugs at the mandrake website, or at least wait for a response from someone more knowledgable about Mandy.

I can say that that is _very_ unusual...

Thanks a lot for trying.

If experienced users can get stumped then its not a surprise that us newbies need a big box of aspirin by the pc to get started with Linux, I wont give up though, even when the last of my hair is lying by my desk.

Thanks again

Yeah sorry man, I just don't know what to tell you here other than keep your head up and don't get discouraged...you'll get it eventually. And besides, as your problem here shows, sometimes things just break, it is not a perfect world.

Again though...I just want to mention I don't use Mandy, so I am not that familiar. Someone who knows more may chime in with an easy fix/explanation. Who knows?

glibc is the essential C library file. Just about everything will link against it, which is why your list is so long. Replacing it is not a simple undertaking. Even the kernel headers that glibc was compiled against need to be left on a system (ever wondered what /usr/include/linux is? Now you know!)

My guess is that you're trying to install an RPM designed for a later mandrake system on an earlier mandrake system. If there's an option to upgrade the whole system then do that, otherwise I would install whatever program you're trying to install from source and leave it at that.

This is absolutely why I hate RPM and everything it stands for. I don't think anything has done more to discourage new users than the hideous dependency errors RPM creates. Install from source all the time and save yourself some hassle.