package steam-installer (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration

[Haris Nadeem]

I get this report everytime I turn on my system. Steam is working perfectly well

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: steam-installer (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.8.0-43.49~20.04.1-generic 5.8.18
Uname: Linux 5.8.0-43-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.16
AptOrdering:
 zoom:amd64: Remove
 NULL: ConfigurePending
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
Date: Thu Feb 4 07:02:14 2021
DpkgTerminalLog:
 Removing zoom (5.5.6981.0202) ...
 run post uninstall script, action is remove ...
 dpkg: error processing package steam-installer (--configure):
  package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should
  reinstall it before attempting configuration
ErrorMessage: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration
InstallationDate: Installed on 2021-02-04 (7 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200731)
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.8, Python 3.8.5, python3-minimal, 3.8.2-0ubuntu2
PythonDetails: N/A
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.7ubuntu3
 apt 2.0.4
SourcePackage: steam
Title: package steam-installer (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: package is in a very bad inconsistent state; you should reinstall it before attempting configuration
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Chris Guiver (guiverc)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

Bug reporting is mostly about finding & fixing problems thus preventing future users from hitting the same bug.

I suspect a Support site would be more appropriate, eg. https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu. You can also find help with your problem in the support forum of your local Ubuntu community http://loco.ubuntu.com/ or asking at https://askubuntu.com or https://ubuntuforums.org, or for more support options please look at https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/community-support/709