package lightdm 1.10.3-0ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1

[George Langford]

This installation has not succeeded in getting past a login page with a menu bar at the top that has my network name at upper left and some additional menu icons at top right, including a classic gnome menu containing just three items: high contrast, on-screen keyboard, and read [something-or-other], The only thing I could do with this is use the on-screen keyboard to enter my password.

Entering my password after selecting gnome classic (or ubuntu or gnome default) produces lots of hard drive activity but nothing further - the OS sticks at an orange wallpaper screen that thankfully fits the monitor with Ubunto 14.04 LTS at lower left. No menus to select from ... no menu bar.

While mucking about to try to get past this impasse, I found this error message after entering: sudo lightdm --test-mode from the Terminal console:
                                             failed to use bus name org.freedesktop.DisplayManager

Searching on that term in Google, I came upon an answer with these instructions:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm #select gdm
sudo apt-get remove lightdm* --purge
sudo reboot
sudo apt-get install lightdm*

whereupon the dpkg-reconfigure screen came up automatically (that had been the fifth instruction in the list above) and I selected lightdm.

Upon rebooting I got a series of error messages culminating in this bug report.

My next step will be to go through an analogous ritual to attempt a reinstall of gdm, which also fails on startup.

I am using Ubuntu 14.04 on an HP 6430NX that has 2GB of RAM, a Philips 107S monitor, a Pro Savage 8KM266/KL266 video card, a.k.a. S3 Graphics LTD VT8375, and a 250GB hard drive with three primary partitions (two ext4 and one FAT32) a swap partition, and an extended partition.

The present installation of Ubuntu was from a USB flash drive that works fine with a Dell Inspiron laptop, but which gives no graphical or textual feedback at all when connected to the USB port of the 6430NX computer (set to boot from a USB HDD in bios). I discovered the Ubunto installation when I connected the 250 GB hard drive via USB to the Inspiron laptop while using gparted to realign and create the present partition structure. However, changing the paritions had no effect whatsoever on the present lack-of-usable-GUI behavior.

I am George Langford, a.k.a. amenex.

Note: this bug screen does not like the package name I entered (lightdm 1.10.3 -0ubuntu2) but that is exactly what the error message said it is.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: lightdm 1.10.3-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-43.72-generic 3.13.11.11
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-43-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.6
Architecture: i386
Date: Thu Jan 1 12:37:36 2015
DuplicateSignature: package:lightdm:1.10.3-0ubuntu2:subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
LightdmConfig:
 [SeatDefaults]
 user-session=mythbuntu
 allow-guest=false
 #autologin-user=
LightdmGreeterLog:
 ** (lightdm-gtk-greeter:1294): WARNING **: Failed to load user background: Failed to open file '/home/george/Pictures/BackYard10062014.jpg': No such file or directory

 ** (lightdm-gtk-greeter:1294): WARNING **: Failed to load user image: Failed to open file '/home/george/.face': No such file or directory
SourcePackage: lightdm
Title: package lightdm 1.10.3-0ubuntu2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[George Langford (amenex)]

With continuing attention to this bug I discovered that I could select Lubuntu at login and that this got me to a proper Desktop with full access to the OS's procedures, accessories and applications, including the other primary partitions on the hard drive and to my LAN.

See Question 259840, which I marked as solved.

The bug reported here did not repeat on several restarts, although attempts to start Ubuntu, Gnome-Classic, and Gnome via this same route (a long list of alternatives being presented at login) all produced crashes or negative outcomes. As always, I could get to the Terminal in nearly all cases with contr+alt+F*.

Hence, the bug reported here shows tons of information about my installation history, which may yet prove quite useful, this bug isn't bugging me any more ... the dskyop PC is now useful again.