package acroread 8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2 failed to install

[Hobbittr]

Binary package hint: acroread

1. Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex
2. acroread 8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2 (using .../acroread_9.1.0-7intrepid1_i386.deb)
3. Update
4. Unpacking replacement acroread ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/acroread_9.1.0-7intrepid1_i386.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite `/usr/share/man/man1/acroread.1.gz', which is also in package acroread-debian-files
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/acroread_9.1.0-7intrepid1_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.10
ErrorMessage: trying to overwrite `/usr/share/man/man1/acroread.1.gz', which is also in package acroread-debian-files
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: acroread 8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2
SourcePackage: acroread
Title: package acroread 8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2 failed to install/upgrade: trying to overwrite `/usr/share/man/man1/acroread.1.gz', which is also in package acroread-debian-files
Uname: Linux 2.6.27-14-generic i686

[William Grant (wgrant)]

Ubuntu does not distribute acroread any more - the version you have is from Medibuntu. Please report it to the Medibuntu developers.

[Lionel Le Folgoc (mrpouit)]

> 2. acroread 8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2 (using .../acroread_9.1.0-7intrepid1_i386.deb)

No, this new package comes from the partner repository

[mxyzptlk (mxyzptlk)]

I ran into this problem last night, and here's my hasty work-around:

Purge all the currently installed acroread packages.

There are three acroread files in /var/apt/archives that need to be forefully removed:
/var/cache/apt/archives/acroread-dictionary-en_8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2_i386.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/acroread-l10n-en_8.1.3-0medibuntu0.8.10.2_i386.deb
/var/cache/apt/archives/acroread_9.1.0-7intrepid1_i386.deb

This can be done with:
sudo rm -rf /var/cache/apt/archives/acroread*

*NOTE: If you're not familiar or comfortable with sudo rm -rf, don't ever touch this command -- its the command-line equivalent of a wildfire, tsunami, hurricane, tornado, and famine, and leaves nothing behind.*

Then run
sudo apt-get update

And
sudo apt-get install acroread

You'll be asked to configure it, but it then installs without issue.

[Huesos (huesotadam)]

If someone still has a problem, before you need to remove acroread
 apt-get remove acroread

then

 apt-get install acroread

[cviorel (viorel-ciucu)]

I can confirm that the fix proposed by Huesos works on Intrepid x86.