package preview-latex-style 11.85-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[Brewster Malevich]

Binary package hint: auctex

Parts of TeX fail on me and apt-get throws a fit every time it runs.
At the same time I get: "package texlive-pictures 2009-7 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2"

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: preview-latex-style 11.85-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.36-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Jun 7 12:45:58 2010
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100429)
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: auctex
Title: package preview-latex-style 11.85-1ubuntu1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[era (era)]

Quoting the attached DpkgTerminalLog.gz:
> Setting up preview-latex-style (11.85-1ubuntu1) ...
> dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed post-installation script: Exec format error

The post-install script appears to be damaged. As a workaround, try removing the package with --purge, then reinstalling. Of course, it would be useful to find out how this could happen in the first place. Did you run out of disk space during any phase of the installation? (Response from similar bug reports so far has been that disk space has not been a problem, but I can't think of anything else.)

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

Nope. I still get an error when I try to purge preview-latex-style:

Removing preview-latex-style ...
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed pre-removal script: Exec format error
dpkg: error processing preview-latex-style (--purge):
 subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed post-installation script: Exec format error
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 preview-latex-style
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I still have 4 gigs on this partition, so space is not an issue (TeX isn't THAT big)

Thanks for your help era.

[era (era)]

So are those files empty? ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info/prevew-latex-style.*

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

Not empty. They don't exist:

ls: cannot access /var/lib/dpkg/info/prevew-latex-style.*: No such file or directory

[era (era)]

Sorry, my bad, there was a typo in the command line I posted. We want ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.* (not "prevew" [sic])

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

lol, I didn't catch that either.

ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1386 2010-06-07 12:32 /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.list
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2009-11-05 06:26 /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.md5sums
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 0 2009-11-05 06:26 /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.postinst
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 0 2009-11-05 06:26 /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.postrm
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 0 2009-11-05 06:26 /var/lib/dpkg/info/preview-latex-style.prerm

(sorry, I really don't know much about dpkg & .debs)
For what it's worth, the content of the .list is:

/.
/usr
/usr/share
/usr/share/texmf
/usr/share/texmf/tex
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/preview.sty
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prauctex.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prauctex.cfg
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prshowbox.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prshowlabels.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prtracingall.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prtightpage.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prlyx.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prcounters.def
/usr/share/texmf/tex/latex/preview/prfootnotes.def
/usr/share/doc
/usr/share/doc/texmf
/usr/share/doc/texmf/latex
/usr/share/doc/texmf/latex/styles
/usr/share/doc/texmf/latex/styles/preview.dvi.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/ChangeLog.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/ChangeLog.1.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/changelog.Debian.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/README.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/README.Debian.gz
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/copyright
/usr/share/doc-base
/usr/share/doc-base/preview-latex-style
/usr/share/bug
/usr/share/bug/preview-latex-style
/usr/share/bug/preview-latex-style/presubj
/usr/share/lintian
/usr/share/lintian/overrides
/usr/share/lintian/overrides/preview-latex-style
/usr/share/doc/preview-latex-style/changelog.gz

[era (era)]

Those zero-sized files are wrong and the cause of the problem, but I don't know what's causing them to end up empty. There have been several bug reports lately about empty postinst etc files but I have no idea what causes this to happen. See for example bug #584021 and bug #582341 although those are tangential.

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

Is there any way for me to remove this package manually without relying on dpkg, apt-get etc?

Even if I were to gut the directories from 'dpkg -L preview-latex-style' I think I still wouldn't be able to remove the package without errors.

[era (era)]

Sorry for the long delay in getting back to you. I would imagine that apt-get install --reinstall preview-latex-style should replace any damaged files; do you find otherwise?

[Brewster Malevich (brews)]

No, that didn't work.
I had done a fresh install of Maverick alpha and this is no long an issue.

[era (era)]

Seems like a dupe of #512096. Marking as such.