[wellylug] dpkg stuff

[Ewen McNeill]

On 2014-03-27 15:20 , E Chalaron wrote:
> *E: Cannot get debconf version. Is debconf installed?**
> **debconf: apt-extracttemplates failed: No such file or directory*
> dpkg: regarding .../libgcc1_1%3a4.7.2-5_amd64.deb containing
> libgcc1:amd64, pre-dependency problem:
>   libgcc1 pre-depends on multiarch-support
>    multiarch-support is unpacked, but has never been configured.

It would appear that the upgrade of things got interrupted after 
replacing some things, but before the new things had been fully 
installed.  And that at least some of those things are pretty key 
packages to the package archive/installation process.  I've had that 
happen a couple of times on tiny systems (small VMs) that ran out of 
disk space (eg, in a partition -- small /boot can be particularly 
problematic, especially with Ubuntu wanting to keep every kernel for N 
years installed...).  But there might be some other causes too.

If you did want to try recovering I'd suggest:
- checking that you do actually have enough free disk space in _all_ 
partitions (including /boot) to be sure of installing some new things; 
if not especially with boot removing _a _few_ _older_ linux-image 
packages can help: dpkg --purge linux-image-VERSION

(if you do have to remove things to make space, make sure (a) that you 
don't reboot until you're done with the rest of the steps, and (b) that 
you definitely run "update-grub" before you reboot.  Otherwise your next 
reboot will have to be from CD to do those steps...)

- then with that free space try running:

dpkg --configure --pending

to see if dpkg will still run enough to actually configure the 
"multiarch-support" that is unpacked, but not configured (and presumably 
a bunch of other things)

- then try:

apt-get -f install

to see if after configuring those things, it can manage to 
install/uninstall the remaining things that it was half way through, to 
get a combination of things that will actually work together as a 
working system

- and then perhaps you'd be in a safe position to try:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

to carry on with where you were up to.

Ewen

PS: Given that particular thing being required, and installed but not 
configured, I have a sneaking suspicion that you're (deliberately or 
otherwise) trying to run a mixed i386/amd64 system.  Which is definitely 
not the path to maximum simplicity.  (Or minimum space usage -- you end 
up with two of several things, like library files.)  If you followed 
some generic instructions on the Internet you might want to double check 
that you're actually using the same architecture as your current system 
for the new packages you've tried to install.