How do I clear the apt-get remove list?

apt package-management uninstall

5,176

Solution 1

I was able to solve the issue by removing the entries in /var/lib/dpkg/status which had a status of half-installed.

Solution 2

Run the following commands and please post any errors:

EDIT

sudo apt-get clean
sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/*
sudo dpkg --clear-selections
sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic

EDIT#2

Okay, for the error (E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/fixrtc), first try setting this file as executable and retry the installation:

sudo chmod -x /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/fixrtc
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --reinstall linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic

5,176

Brian Gradin

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Brian Gradin almost 2 years

apt-get upgrade shows that a package is supposed to be removed:

gradinafrica@host:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
[sudo] password for gradinafrica:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 152 MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] n
Abort.

This package is never removed, and I don't think it needs to be. How can I get apt-get to stop trying to remove it?

EDIT:

Output of sudo apt-get -y upgrade:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 152 MB disk space will be freed.
(Reading database ... 35514 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic (3.13.0-61.100) ...
depmod: FATAL: could not load /boot/System.map-3.13.0-61-generic: No such file or directory
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/apt-auto-removal 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-61-generic
grep: /boot/config-3.13.0-61-generic: No such file or directory
WARNING: missing /lib/modules/3.13.0-61-generic
Device driver support needs thus be built-in linux image!
depmod: ERROR: could not open directory /lib/modules/3.13.0-61-generic: No such file or directory
depmod: FATAL: could not search modules: No such file or directory
E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/fixrtc failed with return 1.
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-61-generic with 1.
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools exited with return code 1
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic (--remove):
 subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-extra-3.13.0-61-generic
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

EDIT 2:

Downloaded the 64-bit package for linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic and tried to install it using sudo dpkg -i linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic_3.13.0-61.100_amd64.deb:

(Reading database ... 40337 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic_3.13.0-61.100_amd64.deb ...
debconf: unable to initialize frontend: Dialog
debconf: (No usable dialog-like program is installed, so the dialog based frontend cannot be used. at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/FrontEnd/Dialog.pm line 76.)
debconf: falling back to frontend: Readline
Done.
Unpacking linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic (3.13.0-61.100) over (3.13.0-61.100) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/postrm.d .
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
Setting up linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic (3.13.0-61.100) ...
Running depmod.
update-initramfs: deferring update (hook will be called later)
The link /initrd.img is a dangling linkto /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-61-generic
vmlinuz(/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
) points to /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
 (/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic) -- doing nothing at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic.postinst line 491.
Examining /etc/kernel/postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/apt-auto-removal 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools 3.13.0-61-generic /boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-61-generic
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-61-generic
E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/fixrtc failed with return 1.
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-3.13.0-61-generic with 1.
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postinst.d/initramfs-tools exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic.postinst line 1025.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic (--install):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-image-3.13.0-61-generic

mchid almost 9 years

please select Y and post the subsequent errors so we can see exactly why it's not uninstalling or installing, thanks!
Brian Gradin almost 9 years

Added those details to the post
Brian Gradin almost 9 years

Tried to install the package it keeps failing on using the technique which solved my other post, but got nowhere. I posted the output above.

Bacon almost 9 years

The OP wants to know if they can be hidden from the apt-get upgrade output
mchid almost 9 years

just thought I'd mention a circumstance where they would be removed
Bacon almost 9 years

You should include that in your answer then :-)
mchid almost 9 years

i don't think it will help here because the output shows 0 not upgraded, although i did consider it because a kernel version like the one shown would definitely be something a dist-upgrade would try to uninstall if something like linux-image-generic is upgraded.
jarno over 8 years

Maybe the packages are still half-installed there, but package management does not know about it anymore. Usually it is better to apt-get install --reinstall the half-installed packages and after successful installation, apt-get purge for the packages to remove them completely.
jarno over 8 years

sudo dpkg --clear-selections might be dangerous. man dpkg tells: "Set the requested state of every non-essential package to deinstall (since dpkg 1.13.18). This is intended to be used immediately before --set-selections, to deinstall any packages not in list given to --set-selections." I suppose running sudo apt-get dselect-upgrade after if will remove many packages, that you probably don't want to happen.