package linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Kent Lion]

Because the machine has not upgraded from 15.04 to 15.10, in response to:
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade ..., based on this: http://askubuntu.com/questions/689358/ubuntu-kernel-not-updating-with-15-10 ...I executed:
sudo apt-get install linux-generic ...which failed. The machine in question has a Pentium M that does not report pae capability (not sure why that should matter on a machine with 2 GB of RAM, but 15.04 runs on the machine. Installation errors reported during the process:

This kernel does not support a non-PAE CPU.
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic_4.2.0-18.22_i386.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1

...and then at the end of the process:

Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic_4.2.0-18.22_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I'll reboot and see if the installation really failed or not, and if it did, I'll try running dpkg on the archive with the error using the --force option and see what happens...

version.log just contains:
Ubuntu 3.19.0-15.15-generic 3.19.3

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.10
Package: linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.19.0-15.15-generic 3.19.3
Uname: Linux 3.19.0-15-generic i686
ApportVersion: 2.19.1-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: kent 1468 F.... pulseaudio
Date: Fri Nov 13 00:02:11 2015
DpkgTerminalLog:
 Preparing to unpack .../linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic_4.2.0-18.22_i386.deb ...
 This kernel does not support a non-PAE CPU.
 dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic_4.2.0-18.22_i386.deb (--unpack):
  subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
DuplicateSignature: package:linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic:(not installed):subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=0dc01c56-1599-4a76-8717-22f4d37942f7
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-04-22 (569 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Xubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
Lsusb:
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
 Bus 004 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 002 Device 002: ID 1241:1166 Belkin MI-2150 Trust Mouse
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
MachineType: Dell Computer Corporation Inspiron 600m
ProcFB: 0 radeondrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.19.0-15-generic root=UUID=b2762d0a-9345-41cf-a5cf-e98bb3b6d350 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
RelatedPackageVersions: grub-pc 2.02~beta2-29
RfKill:
 0: phy0: Wireless LAN
  Soft blocked: no
  Hard blocked: no
SourcePackage: linux
Title: package linux-image-4.2.0-18-generic (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to wily on 2015-11-01 (11 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 06/29/2005
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Computer Corporation
dmi.bios.version: A17
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Computer Corporation
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Computer Corporation
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellComputerCorporation:bvrA17:bd06/29/2005:svnDellComputerCorporation:pnInspiron600m:pvr:rvnDellComputerCorporation:rn:rvr:cvnDellComputerCorporation:ct8:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 600m
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Computer Corporation

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Kent Lion (klsu)]

Note that this bug applies to upgrading, not installing (there's a forcepae work-around for that). Since the machine in question successfully upgraded distributions (using sudo apt-get dist-upgrade) to and runs fine with 15.04, the key to the solution to this bug may lie in answering the question "what change was made from 15.04 to 15.10 that results in the error message and error during installation, and why was it made?" It is not possible for an installer to make correct decisions based on information not available to it; such decisions should be passed to the user (unless there's a reliable way to detect RAM in a machine that is above the addressable range).

According to this:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PAE?action=show&redirect=EnablingPAE
...PAE "is now a requirement for Ubuntu"; however, as near as I can tell, the only purpose for PAE is to allow addressing "more than 4GB of memory address space". What would keep Ubuntu from working on a non-pae machine with less than 4GB of RAM; what are the real chances that someone will install more than 4GB of RAM in a machine with a CPU that can't address that much; will the BIOS recognize it; will there be enough slots on the main board for the type of modules it's available in; won't the computer's manual specifically state the maximum amount of RAM supported by the main board and CPU; and will someone who doesn't know what this means even try to add RAM him-/herself?

The installer should WARN someone installing on what appears to be a non-pae machine that it won't support more than 4GB of RAM. Instead of refusing to install or upgrade based on a pae flag that may not exist or may not be relevant, why not just give a warning if there is no pae flag, e.g.: "Your CPU does not report the ability to address more than 4GB of RAM. Ubuntu must be able to address ALL installed RAM; therefore, only proceed if you are sure that the CPU in this machine can address the amount of RAM installed, and only AFTER you remove unsupported RAM.
Continue upgrade (N to remove excess RAM or stop/y to continue):

[Kent Lion (klsu)]

P.S. When I tried to install the package using dpkg with the --force-all option, it also failed. Is this because the package contains more than one install, and the --force-all option is not applied to all of them? That would be a bug in dpkg...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]