package gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6 failed to install/upgrade: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up

Bug #1577192 reported by Paul Simard
244
This bug affects 53 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
gcc-defaults (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
High
Unassigned

Bug Description

Tried to update from 14.04 to 16.04 and a lot more than this failed to install.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-21.37-generic 4.4.6
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-21-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun May 1 10:33:35 2016
ErrorMessage: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-12-23 (1225 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.5)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1
 apt 1.2.10ubuntu1
SourcePackage: gcc-defaults
Title: package gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6 failed to install/upgrade: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-05-01 (0 days ago)

Attempted to uninstall the package: gcc-doc
Resulted in the following error:
dpkg: error processing package gcc-doc (--purge):
 package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal
Errors were encountered while processing:
 gcc-doc
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:

Package also can not be de-selected in the update manager.

Revision history for this message
Paul Simard (pmayanami) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

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

Changed in gcc-defaults (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Changed in gcc-defaults (Ubuntu):
importance: Undecided → High
Revision history for this message
Michael Mauch (michael-mauch) wrote :

I ran into the same problem. I guess the install-info program (which was already updated at that point) needs a new parameter (dir file), which is not in the old gcc-doc.prerm script:

% LC_ALL=C sudo bash -x /var/lib/dpkg/info/gcc-doc.prerm
+ install-info --quiet --remove gcc
install-info: No dir file specified; try --help for more information.
+ install-info --quiet --remove gccint
install-info: No dir file specified; try --help for more information.
+ exit 0

I removed that script manually:

  sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/gcc-doc.prerm /tmp

and then "sudo apt install gcc-doc" worked again.

Revision history for this message
LarryE (cppljevans) wrote :

Thank you Michael Mauch.

I just upgraded to 16.04 after being prompted to do so after
several logins, but I encountered this problem.

I was trying everything I could think of with dpkg and apt-get
to solve the poblem without success.
The error messages were saying I had to reinstall before
removing and I tried that but it didn't work.

I tried your solution and it worked beautifully!

Kudo's to Michael!

Hopefully this problem will be solved soon because I'm pretty
sure it's causing everyone with gcc-doc installed a lot
or problems upgrading to 16.04 ;(

Revision history for this message
LarryE (cppljevans) wrote :

Unfortunately, after logging out (I had to use ctl-alt-f1 and then login on console and
execute "shutdown now" for some unknown reason), then logging back in, I got one of those
[System program problem detected] error windows and also a [Crash report].
Hence, I guess Michael's solution is not complete.

Any ideas what I should do?

Revision history for this message
Ralf Ganswindt (ralfganswindt) wrote :

Upgrade/Install completed, but aborted clean-up and re-boot due to unresolved error(s).
Manual "shutdown -r now" required due to the system not shutting-down in any other way.

Revision history for this message
Ralf Ganswindt (ralfganswindt) wrote :

Attempted to run "Install Updates" immediately from "About This Computer" ...
* found update for GCC documentation and Ubuntu system files

Failed!
"Package Operation Failed"
"The Installation or removal of a software package failed."

Revision history for this message
Ralf Ganswindt (ralfganswindt) wrote :

Attempted to run "Install Updates" again ...
* found only the update for the GCC documentation

Failed!
"Package Operation Failed"
"The Installation or removal of a software package failed."

Revision history for this message
Mark (markwyz) wrote :

Michael's solution didn't work for me. It appears that this error keeps my computer from updating anything since this error occurs every time I try to update.

Revision history for this message
jimk (jim-by-the-bay) wrote :

I ran into the same problem upgrading Xubunut from 14.04 to 16.04, I followed Michael's steps (after trying and failing to complete the upgrade every couple of weeks), and then reran SoftwareUpdater from the Whisker Menu, and everything. Update is proceeding, I will post another comment if this does not work.

Revision history for this message
jimk (jim-by-the-bay) wrote :

System came up fine after updater finished and selected "Restart" from the panel ActionButtons. I did this rather than clicking "restart now" in the "updater done" dialog since I have not had good luck with that in the past. So Michael's steps worked great for me... Thanks Michael!

Revision history for this message
Mark (markwyz) wrote :

jimk, Is the "Whisker Menu" particular to Xubuntu? If not, how do I find it?

Revision history for this message
Fred Cummings (curatron-i) wrote :

To Whom It May Concern,

I've tried to uninstall package w/synaptic, come back w/need to reinstall but there isn't a package.
And tried a forced uninstall w/dpkg.
Your prompt attention to this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Changed in gcc-defaults (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Fix Committed
Revision history for this message
Fred Cummings (curatron-i) wrote :

in reference to comment #13
I solved the problem by not upgrade package with a different default package.
example (4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6(installed), w/4:5.3.1-1ubuntu1(xenial). This is a conflict.

description: updated
Revision history for this message
Andreas Mohr (andi) wrote :

I cannot help but yelling: Guys, what the H*LL is up with this bug!?

- I still do hit this problem when upgrading to 16.04LTS (point .4) from 14.04LTS (from 12.04LTS)
- this package state likely is NOT treatable (not without major knowledgeable effort)
- BLOCKER: this package state is said to fully (and persistently!) block updating of the entire system (comment #9)
- this bug (which affects the latest *stable* distro version, i.e. something which one would expect "to be permanently working nevermind what is going on") has been reported a whopping nearly TWO YEARS ago
- I completely do not grasp purpose of the latest comment activities (#13, #14 and additions), especially since in my "normal" end user side use case things currently are NOT fixed
  (possibly Fix Committed means that it's fixed on repo side, to be landing on distribution side - however we're now ONE YEAR after that state transition, too!)

Rant side note: personal decision: shunning Ubuntu now, preferring Debian (after having discovered recently after 14.04LTS upgrade that:
- DHCP lease time handling for a supposedly-very-normal suspend-to-RAM use case *still* is broken as it was in 12.04 - a MAJOR (since larger-environment-corrupting-beyond-local-system) issue!
- keyboard meta keys kernel crash still existing in new kernel version of 14.04 vs. 12.04
)

While this issue seems to be locally workaround-solvable in a sufficiently benign manner by:
editing
/var/lib/dpkg/info/gcc-doc.prerm
to
install-info --quiet --dir-file /usr/share/info/dir --remove /usr/share/info/gcc.info.gz
install-info --quiet --dir-file /usr/share/info/dir --remove /usr/share/info/gccint.info.gz
(from
install-info --quiet --remove gcc
install-info --quiet --remove gccint
)
and then doing
apt-get install --reinstall gcc-doc
, this is a thoroughly complex manual fix which is as distant as imaginable from an { automatically usability-preserving | easily after-the-fact-doable | semi-easily after-the-fact-doable } installation activity.

Again: BLOCKER.

secm IT (secmit)
Changed in gcc-defaults (Ubuntu):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
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