package linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic 2.6.28-11.40 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[Jeffsmash]

Binary package hint: linux-image-2.6.28-11-generic

###Source Package(s)
 linux-image-2.6.28-11-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-2.6.28-11-generic
 linux-image-generic
 linux-restricted-modules-generic
 linux-generic
 linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic
 linux-headers-generic

###Ubuntu Release:
Description: Ubuntu jaunty (development branch)
Release: 9.04

###Package Version:
linux-headers-2.6.28-11:
  Installed: 2.6.28-11.40
  Candidate: 2.6.28-11.40
  Version table:
 *** 2.6.28-11.40 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
CurrentDmesg:
 [ 21.416238] r8169: eth0: link up
 [ 21.416243] r8169: eth0: link up
 [ 26.777232] RPC: Registered udp transport module.
 [ 26.777236] RPC: Registered tcp transport module.
 [ 32.012031] eth0: no IPv6 routers present
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
ErrorMessage: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
MachineType: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 945GCM-S2C
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic 2.6.28-11.40
ProcCmdLine: root=UUID=22a5f345-65b0-4b2a-b8a2-5e28b3097a6d ro quiet splash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.28-11.40-generic
SourcePackage: linux
Title: package linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic 2.6.28-11.40 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[prlancas (prlancas)]

Not sure if this is the same bug but I get same error number from the same package running:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Gives following output:

Setting up linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic (2.6.28-11.42) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d.
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/dkms
 * Running DKMS auto installation service for kernel 2.6.28-11-generic
 * nouveau ()... nouveau (): AUTOINSTALL not set in its dkms.conf.
                                                                                                                   [ OK ]
 * nvidia (173.14.16)... nvidia (173.14.16): Already installed on this kernel.
                                                                                                                   [ OK ]
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/nvidia-common
run-parts: failed to exec /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/nvidia-common: Exec format error
run-parts: /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/nvidia-common exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic.postinst line 110.
dpkg: error processing linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-headers-generic:
 linux-headers-generic depends on linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic; however:
  Package linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing linux-headers-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic
 linux-headers-generic

[prlancas (prlancas)]

My problem was /etc/kernel/header_postinst.d/nvidia-common was empty a reinstall of nvidia-common fixed it so probably nothing to do with your issue

[Eugeniobal (eugenio-bal)]

My problem was, during upgrade process from 8.10 a dependency (in my case debian-edu-artwork) remove the grub package and without this the post-installation script don't execute grub-upgrade.

I solved in this mode: manually removed debian-edu-artwork and reinstalled grub from synaptic.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

This looks to be a duplicate of bug 303825 so I am marking it as such.