ongoing battle with getting rid of cloop-utils which is badly damaged and should be reinstalled before removing according to dpkg; but there is no reinstall option seperate from the install option so since install does not work, I can't reinstall and then remove.
__________________________________________________ _________
START of err msg in full for reference
__________________________________________________ _________
Fetched 443MB in 3h56m8s (31.3kB/s)
Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 93860 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace cloop-utils 0.68-2 (using .../cloop-utils_1.02-4_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement cloop-utils ...
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/build
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/kernel
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.dep is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.generic_string is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.ieee1394map is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.isapnpmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.parportmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.pcimap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.pnpbiosmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.usbmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/net
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/pcmcia
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/usb
dpkg: warning - old post-removal script returned error exit status 1
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/build
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/kernel
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.dep is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.generic_string is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.ieee1394map is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.isapnpmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.parportmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.pcimap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.pnpbiosmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.usbmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/net
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/pcmcia
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/usb
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/cloop-utils_1.02-4_i386.deb (--unpack):
subprocess new post-removal script returned error exit status 1
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/build
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/kernel
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.dep is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.generic_string is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.ieee1394map is not an ELF file
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.isapnpmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.parportmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.pcimap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/modules.pnpbiosmap
depmod: /lib/modules/extra/modules.usbmap is not an ELF file
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/net
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/pcmcia
depmod: cannot read ELF header from /lib/modules/extra/usb
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/cloop-utils_1.02-4_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Ack! Something bad happened while installing packages. Trying to recover:
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree
Reading extended state information... Done
__________________________________________________ _________
END of err msg
__________________________________________________ _________

I install wajig using dpkg and it worked
so I went for
apt-get update (successful)
apt-get upgrade (failed ... same reason as above)
apt-get dist-upgrade (failed ... same reason as above)
apt-get --fix-broken dist-upgrad (failed ... same reason as above)
wajig reinstall cloop-utils (failed ... same reason as above)
wajig purge cloop-utils (failed ... same reason as above)

I go into aptitude and make selections so that I try to remove cloop-utils; failed; tried to install cloop-utils;failed; so I

aptitude -dist-upgrade (failed ... same reason as above)

now I am thinking let me try dpkg again, so I
dpkg --simulate --remove cloop-utils (failed ... same reason as above)
__________________________________________________ ________
START of err msg from dpkg for reference
__________________________________________________ ________
dpkg: error processing cloop-utils (--remove):
Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
reinstall it before attempting a removal.
__________________________________________________ ________
END of err msg from dpkg for reference
__________________________________________________ ________

so I think (I am doing a lot of this now) let me fire up dselect: and there I try several times to mark the rascal (aka cloop-utils) for install with suggested selected; failed, mark the rascal for deletion; failed; ok, so let me look at the state of the system, so I

dpkg --audit

RESULTS
The following packages are in a mess due to serious problems during
installation. They must be reinstalled for them (and any packages
that depend on them) to function properly:
cloop-utils Tools for handling with cloop compressed volumes

notice it is this one stinking package that's choking me, so I

dpkg -P cloop-utils-bla_bla_bla (failed ... same reason as above)
dpkg -r cloop-utils-bla_bla_bla (failed ... same reason as above)

So I open synaptic and filter on cloop-utils in misc tab and try to reinstall, install, remove; failed, failed, failed. However it was nice to discover that when you use the filter in synaptic you deal only with those packages filtered; in this case the action in synaptic was only act on cloop-utils and keep back everything else basically... I liked this granular control in synaptic, because I use to think it was abit of a loose cannon

Meanwhile back at my problem, I don't know of another darn tool to use.

PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
I have generated a list of packages installed on system which I called mlinuxdebs (the medialinux knoppix variant) because I am now thinking (more of that stuff again)
1. blow away medialinux
2. drop in the latest KNOPPIX (KNOPPIX_V3.3-2003-09-24-EN.iso)
3. then run a install from file mlinuxdebs
then I will have a standard knoppix with all the multimedia stuff I thought was a great idea in medialinux (thereby creating a two-flavor knoppix)

Hey if any of you got some ideas/thoughts about all this please share your comments: I am trying to get into debian seriously, and see knoppix as a quick/clean way of doing so... ok this is not what's going on, but after I fix this stuff it will be : the upside being that the package management tools is a must get to know in order to live with debian (and I am new to debian, knoppix is my first (technically the number is now 3) debian install)

I'll be back...