i have been consitently unable to install "linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic"

[Xaviar01]

E: /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic_2.6.27-7.16_i386.deb: unable to make backup link of `./boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic' before installing new version

I am using Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex, installed alongside Windows XP

i didn't know what to expect to happen, other than the package installing...

instead, i received an error (i've attempted to install the package up to as many as 12 times)

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
ErrorMessage: unable to make backup link of `./boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic' before installing new version: Operation not permitted
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Package: linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.14
ProcCmdLine: User Name=UUID=92AB-00CE loop=/hostname/disks/home/username.disk ro ROOTFLAGS=sync quiet splash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.27-7.14-generic
SourcePackage: linux
Title: package linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.14 failed to install/upgrade: unable to make backup link of `./boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic' before installing new version: Operation not permitted

[Jordan Bain (jbain-deactivatedaccount)]

It looks like either /boot isn't mounted or its out of space. Could you attach the output of "df -h"?

[Paul Sundvall (slask-paulsundvall)]

I have a similar problem, which matches the description above.

df -h /boot
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/host/ubuntu/disks/boot
                       73G 25G 49G 34% /boot
nerd@ubuntu:/boot$

here i s what happens:

sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic
1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/23.4MB of archives.
After this operation, 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
(Reading database ... 128835 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic 2.6.27-7.14 (using .../linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic_2.6.27-7.16_i386.deb) ...
Done.
Unpacking replacement linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic_2.6.27-7.16_i386.deb (--unpack):
 unable to make backup link of `./boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic' before installing new version: Operation not permitted
dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
Running postrm hook script /sbin/update-grub.
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
Searching for default file ... found: /boot/grub/default
Testing for an existing GRUB menu.lst file ... found: /boot/grub/menu.lst
Searching for splash image ... none found, skipping ...
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-9-generic
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic
Found kernel: /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-3-rt
Found kernel: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Updating /boot/grub/menu.lst ... done

Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.27-7-generic_2.6.27-7.16_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, this bug is a duplicate of bug 252900 and is being marked as such. Please look at the other bug report to see if there is any missing information that you can provide, or to see if there is a workaround in it. Additionally, any further discussion regarding the bug should occur in the other report. Please feel free to submit any future bugs you may find.