package fglrx (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1

[Olav]

tried to install package fglrx in order to reduce very loud fan noise

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: fglrx (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-40.62-generic 3.5.7.20
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-40-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu12
AptOrdering:
 fglrx: Purge
 fglrx-legacy: Purge
 fglrx-updates: Purge
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Tue Sep 24 16:19:02 2013
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DpkgTerminalLog:
 Removing fglrx ...
 Purging configuration files for fglrx ...
 update-rc.d: /etc/init.d/atieventsd exists during rc.d purge (use -f to force)
 dpkg: error processing fglrx (--purge):
  subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
DuplicateSignature: package:fglrx:(not installed):subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
GraphicsCard:
 Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] nee ATI Madison [Mobility Radeon HD 5000 Series] [1002:68c0] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:1c22]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-09-23 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.5)
MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. N71Jq
MarkForUpload: True
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-40-generic root=UUID=0de36ac4-30e6-4d97-bfae-411feaed2704 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: fglrx-installer
Title: package fglrx (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 07/30/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: N71Jq.208
dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.board.name: N71Jq
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrN71Jq.208:bd07/30/2010:svnASUSTeKComputerInc.:pnN71Jq:pvr1.0:rvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:rnN71Jq:rvr1.0:cvnASUSTeKComputerInc.:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: N71Jq
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.6-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.43-0ubuntu0.2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.4
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0.3-0ubuntu0.4
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu3

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Mike Miller (akf-mike-nw2)]

This happened after a kernel upgrade and is definitely a pain. Looks like soo far if I re-run the installer I am good.

[Fletcher Barnes (n3vqm57)]

This happened after kernel update from 3.13.??-49 to 3.16.0-34 trying to move from 14.04 to 14.04.2 I had fglrx-update working on old kernel but something broke during upgrade and I am trying to uninstall to reinstall.

[Kenneth Cole (cromey64024-6)]

Issue also occurs if you attempt to uninstall through the additional drivers ui on 14.04

[Jay Eichelberger (l-home)]

The other day, did a normal update and upgrade.
This included:
 2016-02-19 13:35:38
Upgrade: fglrx-updates:amd64 (15.200-0ubuntu0.6, 15.201-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), fglrx-updates-core:amd64 (15.200-0ubuntu0.6, 15.201-0ubuntu0.14.04.1), fglrx-amdcccle-updates:amd64 (15.200-0ubuntu0.6, 15.201-0ubuntu0.14.04.1)

today I did a dpkg-query -l | grep -v ^i

 and looked for discrepancies.

Saw:
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-===========================================-=======================================-============-===============================================================================
rc fglrx 2:15.200-0ubuntu0.3 amd64 Video driver for the AMD graphics accelerators
rc fglrx-core 2:15.200-0ubuntu0.3 amd64 Minimal video driver for the AMD graphics accelerators

I realize that fglrx and fglrx-updates are incompatible.

*Assumed* that it would be good to purge and remove fglrx and fglrx-core.

got this error
Errors were encountered while processing:
 fglrx
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:

state was then:
pc fglrx 2:15.200-0ubuntu0.3 amd64 Video driver for the AMD graphics accelerators

The *assumed* it would be good to remove fglrx as:
sudo aptitude remove fglrx

No error on that.

Then *assumed* OK to reinstall fglrx-updates as:
sudo aptitude reinstall fglrx-updates
No error here.
But somewhere, the crash and error report was generated...

I'm running Ubuntu
Release 14.04
Kernel Linux 3.16.0-60-generic
Mate 1.8.2

on an AMD64 machine.
Hope this helps...

[CBrider (zaknafien13)]

This happened for me on a regular kernel upgrade (to 3.13.0-16-generic on 14.04). After upgrading, the users could not start their desktop session, they would be immediately kicked back to the login screen.

Apt-get could not purge the existing fglrx installation, and dpkg could only remove the packages one at a time using the -f command as some of the library links were broken (apparently during the upgrade). My first clue was here in the output from

# apt-get upgrade.

Other packages installed fine, but the fglrx did not. It returned:

Setting up fglrx-updates (2:15.201-0ubuntu0.14.04.1) ...
update-alternatives: warning: forcing reinstallation of alternative /usr/lib/fglrx/ld.so.conf because link group x86_64-linux-gnu_gl_conf is broken
update-alternatives: warning: forcing reinstallation of alternative /usr/lib/fglrx/ld.so.conf because link group x86_64-linux-gnu_gl_conf is broken

I attempted to remove and reinstall the proprietary drivers using

# apt-get remove --purge fglrx*

But that resulted in the following:

Purging configuration files for fglrx (2:15.200-0ubuntu1) ...
update-rc.d: /etc/init.d/atieventsd exists during rc.d purge (use -f to force)
dpkg: error processing package fglrx (--purge):
 subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 fglrx

I was able to get things working following the instructions here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/268749/amd-driver-install-troubleshooting.

That is, I installed the linux-source, removed the fglrx packages individually using dpkg. Once this was done I was able to reinstall. Dpkg -l listed both the fglrx and the fglrx-updates versions, even though the fglrx-updates packages were the ones being used.