package linux-image-3.5.0-39-generic (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[DonQuichote]

This may have to do something with the processor, which does not expose the PAE flag. My machine is a Panasonic CF-18 Toughbook, and should have an Intel Pentium M 735 processor. However, I could install the pae kernel just fine and booted into it just fine before upgrading from 12.04 LTS to 12.10. It is in the middle of the upgrade that this error occurred.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: linux-image-3.5.0-39-generic (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-52.78-generic-pae 3.2.48
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-52-generic-pae i686
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.4
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: plotter 2098 F.... xfce4-mixer-plu
                      plotter 2116 F.... xfce4-volumed
                      plotter 2136 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'I82801DBICH4'/'Intel 82801DB-ICH4 with STAC9766,67 at irq 9'
   Mixer name : 'SigmaTel STAC9766,67'
   Components : 'AC97a:83847666'
   Controls : 38
   Simple ctrls : 24
Date: Tue Aug 27 14:02:59 2013
ErrorMessage: ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=6c8fdf49-81eb-4ea9-8db8-def3a3723e24
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 004 Device 002: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
MachineType: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd. CF-18BEK01ME
MarkForUpload: True
PccardctlIdent:
 Socket 0:
   no product info available
 Socket 1:
   no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
 Socket 0:
   no card
 Socket 1:
   no card
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.2.0-52-generic-pae root=UUID=52f485e3-cc1f-4a37-b9a6-d486127f1ae6 ro splash vt.handoff=7
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 127: pacmd: error while loading shared libraries: libpulsecommon-1.1.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
RelatedPackageVersions: grub-pc 1.99-21ubuntu3.10
SourcePackage: linux
Title: package linux-image-3.5.0-39-generic (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2013-08-27 (0 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 06/13/2003
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies K.K.
dmi.bios.version: V1.00L13A
dmi.board.name: CF18-1
dmi.board.vendor: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd.
dmi.board.version: 001
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd.
dmi.chassis.version: 001
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologiesK.K.:bvrV1.00L13A:bd06/13/2003:svnMatsushitaElectricIndustrialCo.,Ltd.:pnCF-18BEK01ME:pvr001:rvnMatsushitaElectricIndustrialCo.,Ltd.:rnCF18-1:rvr001:cvnMatsushitaElectricIndustrialCo.,Ltd.:ct10:cvr001:
dmi.product.name: CF-18BEK01ME
dmi.product.version: 001
dmi.sys.vendor: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.,Ltd.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

   This kernel does not support a non-PAE CPU.
   dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-3.5.0-39-generic_3.5.0-39.60_i386.deb (--unpack):
    subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

non-PAE CPUs are not supported after the Precise release.

[DonQuichote (xubuntu-w-p)]

SOLVED.

I thought I had already installed the fake-pae package, but it turned out that I did not. To make matters worse there is no such thing as apt-add-repository or add-apt-repository on my system, not even after installing python-software-properties (and thereby installing unattended-upgrades, ouch!).

After adding the repository (in synaptic):
URI: http://ppa.launchpad.net/prof7bit/fake-pae/ubuntu/
Distribution: quantal
Section(s): main

and getting the key:
$ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys E54EEAA4

and:
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get --no-install-recommends upgrade

I could bring my machine up-to-date in Xubuntu 12.10 (in a few runs, because apt-get "holds back" a number of packages, which I installed "sudo apt-get --no-install-recommends install <packagelist>").

I did not expect that I could not upgrade while I had a pae kernel already installed and running.