package flightgear-data-base 2.10.0-2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

[Stephen Haga]

I've been getting crashes relating to FLightgear. I tried to unload it and don't appear to have been successfull. Packages seem to load okay and work, but I always get an error message at the end of the install.

Ubuntu 13.10 with I think all updates.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.10
Package: flightgear-data-base 2.10.0-2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.11.0-14.21-generic 3.11.7
Uname: Linux 3.11.0-14-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.12.5-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Dec 18 06:43:21 2013
DpkgTerminalLog:
 Preparing to replace flightgear-data-base 2.10.0-2 (using .../flightgear-data-base_2.10.0-2ubuntu1_all.deb) ...
 dpkg: warning: subprocess old pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
 dpkg: trying script from the new package instead ...
 dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/flightgear-data-base_2.10.0-2ubuntu1_all.deb (--unpack):
  subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
DuplicateSignature: package:flightgear-data-base:2.10.0-2:subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-11-08 (404 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release i386 (20121017.2)
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: flightgear-data
Title: package flightgear-data-base 2.10.0-2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to saucy on 2013-10-18 (60 days ago)

[Stephen Haga (stevehaga)]

I tried to get rid of the flightgear database to remove the issue but it keeps getting reinstalled.

[Rebecca Palmer (rebecca-palmer)]

That looks vaguely like a not-fully-installed 2.10.0-2; can you post the output of:
dpkg -l *flightgear*
dpkg -l *simgear*
ls -l /usr/share/games/flightgear
ls -l /usr/share/games/flightgear/Fonts

> but it keeps getting reinstalled.
Are you sure it's being reinstalled, or is it never being removed in the first place (try to remove it then re-run dpkg -l *flightgear*)?

Mixing official and unofficial flightgear packages (one of your logs mentions simgear 2.12, which official Ubuntu never had) can cause issues: if possible, remove all of one before installing the other.

[Rebecca Palmer (rebecca-palmer)]

We suspect this is because one or both of the symlinks the prerm script removes are already removed, probably by a failed or interrupted previous removal/upgrade; if so, it is fixed in 3.0.0-1 (in Trusty).

If the package works other than this message, it should be OK to ignore it until Trusty is released; if it doesn't, please post the information requested earlier.