Comment 2 for bug 279709

Running 8.10, just did an Update Manager update, and the update failed with a number of "package already configured" errors:
E: udev: package udev is already installed and configureddpkg: error processing cups (--configure):
 package cups is not ready for configuration
 cannot configure (current status `triggers-awaited')
dpkg: error processing cups-client (--configure):
 package cups-client is already installed and configured
Setting up cupsys-client (1.3.9-2ubuntu1) ...
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                            dpkg: error processing f-spot (--configure):
 package f-spot is already installed and configured
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              dpkg: error processing libpango1.0-common (--configure):
 package libpango1.0-common is already installed and configured
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              Setting up libpango1.0-0 (1.22.2-0ubuntu1) ...

Setting up libgtksourceview2.0-0 (2.4.1-0ubuntu1) ...

dpkg: error processing gedit-common (--configure):
 package gedit-common is already installed and configured
Setting up gedit (2.24.1-0ubuntu1) ...
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already

Setting up libgnome-window-settings1 (1:2.24.0.1-0ubuntu7.1) ...

Setting up gnome-control-center (1:2.24.0.1-0ubuntu7.1) ...

Setting up gnome-terminal (2.24.1.1-0ubuntu1) ...

dpkg: error processing pm-utils (--configure):
 package pm-utils is already installed and configured
Setting up rhythmbox (0.11.6svn20081008-0ubuntu4.2) ...
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already

dpkg: error processing update-manager (--configure):
 package update-manager is already installed and configured
dpkg: error processing xserver-xorg-input-evdev (--configure):
 package xserver-xorg-input-evdev is already installed and configured
Setting up cups-bsd (1.3.9-2ubuntu1) ...
No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already
                                                              No apport report written because MaxReports is reached already

Setting up cupsys-bsd (1.3.9-2ubuntu1) ...
Setting up gnome-pilot (2.0.15-2ubuntu4) ...

dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:221: process_queue: Assertion `dependtry <= 4' failed.
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg exited unexpectedly
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
Processing triggers for menu ...
Setting up gnome-panel (1:2.24.1-0ubuntu2.1) ...

Processing triggers for libc6 ...
ldconfig deferred processing now taking place
dpkg: ../../src/packages.c:221: process_queue: Assertion `dependtry <= 4' failed.
Aborted