package flashplugin-installer 10.0.22.87ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

[NoahY]

Binary package hint: flashplugin-nonfree

Don't know what is wrong, none of the solutions I've seen elsewhere (like removing alternative dpkg files) work. I've since downloaded the .so for amd64 from the Adobe website and manually moved it to the mozilla plugin directory and it is working fine, but the package flashplugin-installer is messed up.

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jul 10 17:07:00 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: flashplugin-installer 10.0.22.87ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-2.16-generic
SourcePackage: flashplugin-nonfree
Title: package flashplugin-installer 10.0.22.87ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-2-generic x86_64

[kmb42vt (tbeposts)]

Same problem here when attempting to reinstall Flash 10 plugin. Flash plugin was deleted during the failure.

[Joonas Javanainen (gekkio)]

This bug only occurs in Karmic (removing the package works fine in Jaunty although the package version and contents are exactly the same).
I did some debugging and think that the new version of dpkg in Karmic is stricter in some things and this causes
the prerm script fail.
The problem is that the prerm script is calling update-alternatives --remove twice (first in deconfigure- and then in remove-phase) and it fails the second time because the first run has removed the alternatives already. This works in Jaunty but in Karmic it fails.

I've made a simple hackish patch that removes the update-alternatives calls from remove (they still remain in upgrade/deconfigure). It's probably not the correct solution here but it works and the package can be removed successfully.

Apply the patch with

sudo patch /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm path_to_flash.patch

Remember to replace path_to_flash.patch with the actual path to the downloaded flash.patch -file.

[Victor Vargas (kamus)]

Thanks Joonas, that works for me too!

[Marco Ciampa (ciampix)]

Me too, thanks!

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

This should already be fixed in flashplugin-nonfree 10.0.32.18ubuntu1.

If anyone is still having these issues, please reopen this bug.

[Michael Mauch (michael-mauch)]

This problem happened for me also with the Karmic release (upgrade from 9.04 with cdromupgrade from alternate AMD64 CD). Joonas' patch fixed it, thanks!

[Livia (liviars)]

Thanks Joonas!
I just had a hard time trying to install the 'patch's package again because the upgrade process had already took it off or something like that. But after all, I finally manage to install the patch package (that contains the patch command) and your patch worked.

[Yasir (yasir-niaz)]

I also have this problem. I applied the patch but it did not help. It gives the error message:
patching file /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm
Hunk #1 FAILED at 27.
1 out of 1 hunk FAILED -- saving rejects to file /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm.rej

The contents of file (/var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm.rej) are:

--- flashplugin-installer.prerm 2009-04-08 20:55:56.000000000 +0300
+++ flashplugin-installer.prerm 2009-07-22 11:17:03.625993396 +0300
@@ -27,16 +27,6 @@
   rm -rf /var/cache/flashplugin-installer-unpackdir
   rm -rf /var/cache/flashplugin-installer

- for p in $VARIANTS; do
- update-alternatives --remove "$p-flashplugin" /usr/lib/flashplugin-installer/libflashplayer.so;
- done
- for p in $VARIANTS; do
- update-alternatives --remove "$p-flashplugin" /var/lib/flashplugin-installer/npwrapper.libflashplayer.so;
- done
- for p in $VARIANTS; do
- [ `update-alternatives --list "$p-flashplugin" | wc -l` = 0 ] && \
- update-alternatives --remove-all "$p-flashplugin"
- done
   ;;
  upgrade|deconfigure)
   update-rc.d -f flashplugin-installer remove >/dev/null 2>&1

[alistair hookings (va-va)]

Also affects me. Just upgraded 8.04AMD alternate to 10.04.1AMD alternate, and I applied the patch supplied, but get the same problem as Yasir:
Hunk #1 FAILED at 27.
1 out of 1 hunk FAILED -- saving rejects to file /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm.rej
Please can someone fix this, I cannot install many other packages because it gets hung on this first. Thanks in advance

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for flashplugin-nonfree (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]