Error: "dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'sudo dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem"

Question

I think I used something involving dpkg but I am not able to recall what. After that when I need to do some

sudo-apt

get or even sudo-apt get update I am facing the following issue:

dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 
    sudo dpkg --configure -a
 to correct the problem.

Any clue what is wrong and how can I fix this?

Solution

It is called when packages are broken, or the package installation is interrupted.

You should run sudo dpkg --configure -a or its alternative apt-get -f install to solve this problem.

Comments

[QwertyChouskie]

Then run sudo dpkg --configure -a is it says.

[Eduardo Cola]

You should read the output, as it says exactly what you must do.

[goo]

Check your .history file, where bash stores commands you type.

[red888]

what does sudo dpkg --configure -a actually do? I see this command referenced multiple times but not sure what it actually does

[Olimjon]

@red888, In Ubuntu, packages are in a .deb file format, which is a zip file that holds compiled source ported into Ubuntu. By installing a package (apt install <package name> or dpkg -i <package name>) it downloads then unpacks into / and finally configures the package. If package installation is interrupted by some circumstances in configuration phase then this problem occurs...

[Olimjon]

@red888, So dpkg --configure -a (Syntax: dpkg - package installer, --configure - start configuration phase, -a - all packages) starts the configuration phase again... Then, apt-get -f install resolves unmet dependencies as apt-get has an ability to automatically install, where dpkg can't...