package nvidia-331 331.89-0ubuntu4 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 8

[Walter Garcia-Fontes]

I was trying to change from the proprietary to the nouveau driver from system settings and I got this error

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: nvidia-331 331.89-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-14.20-generic 3.16.2
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-14-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Sep 15 07:14:28 2014
DuplicateSignature: package:nvidia-331:331.89-0ubuntu4:subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 8
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 8
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-11-28 (290 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
SourcePackage: nvidia-graphics-drivers-331
Title: package nvidia-331 331.89-0ubuntu4 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 8
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to utopic on 2014-09-08 (6 days ago)
modified.conffile..etc.modprobe.d.nvidia.331.hybrid.conf: [deleted]

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Graham Inggs (ginggs)]

I came across a similar error trying to downgrade from nvidia-331 to nvidia-304 or trying to remove nvidia-331-updates while logged in to the desktop.

Removing nvidia-331-updates (331.89-0ubuntu5) ...
stop: Unknown instance:
userdel: user nvidia-persistenced is currently used by process 1665
dpkg: error processing package nvidia-331-updates (--remove):
 subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 8
Errors were encountered while processing:
 nvidia-331-updates

Rebooting and instead of logging in to the desktop, but pressing Ctrl-Alt-F1 for a tty terminal, then logging in, allowed me to remove the 331 driver.

[François Jacques (francois-jacques)]

Workaround until this gets fixed:

# stop nvidia-persistenced
$ sudo service nvidia-persistenced stop

# completely uninstall failed package and dependencies
$ apt-get remove nvidia-updates-331 nvidia-updates-331-dev nvidia-updates-331-uvm

# reinstall all three packages
$ apt-get install nvidia-updates-331 nvidia-updates-331-dev nvidia-updates-331-uvm

# restart persistenced
$ sudo service nvidia-persistenced start

[Nick (nick-power)]

I had the problem when I wanted to install the new 340.58 driver by adding the PPA xorg-edgers and install it with the "sofware & updates" interface from ubuntu.

After installing the driver again with this interface, the bug disappeares.

Using GT 630M and Ubuntu 14.10.

[Alberto Milone (albertomilone)]

This bug is fixed in 14.10 (I cannot guarantee for packages coming from PPAs though).