synaptic seems stuck

[fingers99]

Whatever I try to do, I can't seem to get rid of Xmovie which, in turn, means I can't install anything. Synaptic goes through the motions of fixing broken packages, removing Xmovie, but whenever I try to download something it's still there. Nothing will install, absolutely nothing.

Ideas, please.

[fingers99]

Anything? Anyone?

[Stephen]

Whatever I try to do, I can't seem to get rid of Xmovie which, in turn, means I can't install anything. Synaptic goes through the motions of fixing broken packages, removing Xmovie, but whenever I try to download something it's still there. Nothing will install, absolutely nothing.

Ideas, please.

The output of the actual apt-get command that is being used by synaptic would be helpful post what it tells you when you do apt-get --pruge remove xmovie and what it tells you when you try to install a program.

[fingers99]

apt-get --purge remove xmovie

seems to have removed xmovie. I just couldn't find the syntax. But synaptic seemed to still be broken. Trying to upgrade anything (I've yet to try a straight install) I got:

Preconfiguring packages ...

Update finished - You can close the window now

Nothing was downloaded, nothing was changed.

apt-get upgrade synaptic seems to upgrade a pile of stuff but not synaptic. I'm puzzled.

[Stephen]

apt-get --purge remove xmovie

seems to have removed xmovie. I just couldn't find the syntax. But synaptic seemed to still be broken. Trying to upgrade anything (I've yet to try a straight install) I got:

Preconfiguring packages ...

Update finished - You can close the window now

Nothing was downloaded, nothing was changed.

apt-get upgrade synaptic seems to upgrade a pile of stuff but not synaptic. I'm puzzled.

The output of the commands would still be useful there is no way to tell what apt is trying to do without seeing it. Personally I gave up on Synaptic for exactly the same thing you are seeing right now you have no control over what is happening.

[fingers99]

It's time for bed, here (although I'm running an apt-get update) I'll see if I can come up with some telling output tomorrow. At the moment I'd pay for a YaST for Debian! I never thought I'd say that........

[fingers99]

The only meaningful info

apt-get upgrade synaptic

outputs is

Unpacking replacement libsmpeg0 ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/koffice-i18n-de_1.2.92-1_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
root@molehole:/home/john#

Can I just rm it? And then, I'm puzzled why a sophisticated package management system should fail to install a completely unrelated package because dpkg encounters some mysterious error with a koffice localisation package.

[Stephen]

The only meaningful info

apt-get upgrade synaptic

outputs is

Unpacking replacement libsmpeg0 ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/koffice-i18n-de_1.2.92-1_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
root@molehole:/home/john#

Can I just rm it? And then, I'm puzzled why a sophisticated package management system should fail to install a completely unrelated package because dpkg encounters some mysterious error with a koffice localisation package.

You would remove the offending package with apt or dpkg not rm. The problems come from having so many packages from different sources installed there is just too much of a chance for conflicts between them and things change every day in the packages so what may work today may not work tomorrow because of these changes.

[fingers99]

I've sorted out the koffice-i18n-de_1.2.92-1_all.deb issue by following towjamb's instructions here

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...r=asc&start=15

but still can't seem to upgrade anything. Will try again tomorrow.

[fingers99]

Ha. In desperation I pointed apt-get at unstable. I now have a really strange Synaptic with a new interface and the latest Wine (which hopefully has the horrible x11drv.dll error fixed.

Why this should have worked puzzles me, bwth.