CUPS error while installing packages using apt-get

Question

I recently use the command sudo apt-get update in Ubuntu 14.04 and now when I want install packages, I get an error.

For example, when I use sudo apt-get install vagrant for installing Vagrant I get the following error:

invoke-rc.d: initscript cups, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing package cups-daemon (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Setting up fontconfig (2.11.1-0ubuntu6) ...
Regenerating fonts cache... failed.
See /var/log/fontconfig.log for more information.
dpkg: error processing package fontconfig (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of cups-core-drivers:
cups-core-drivers depends on cups-daemon (>= 2.0.2-1ubuntu3); however:
Package cups-daemon is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package cups-core-drivers (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of cups:
cups depends on cups-core-drivers (>= 2.0.2-1ubuntu3); however:
Package cups-core-drivers is not configured yet.
cups depends on cups-daemon (>= 2.0.2-1ubuntu3); however:
Package cups-daemon is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package cups (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
Errors were encountered while processing:
util-linux
cups-browsed
cups-daemon
fontconfig
cups-core-drivers
cups  
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I have searched for details about this error, and one person suggested using sudo apt-get upgrade. I tried this, but it does not help.

How can I fix this problem?

Solution

It means you added a bad source.list and your libraries became corrupt due it. In my case I had added source list of 13.04 in ubuntu 14.04 to make somethings work based on the answer of some guy in askubuntu.com, that was the stupidest thing I did, and learnt never to add libraries of older versions. But it did solve the problem and everything was working fine until I restarted the system.

When I got this error, I restarted by ubuntu and I was unable to start it again. Reboot failed. So I took a pendrive and upgraded the 14.04 to 16.04 and everything was fixed and I was able to install this cup thing too. That was the only thing I could do.

So use:

sudo apt-get upgrade

Comments

[Admin]

Could you add contents of /var/log/fontconfig.log.

[Admin]

Take a look at this post here

[Admin]

Here it suggests re-installing cups, look at the bottom of the post