package unattended-upgrades 0.90ubuntu0.7 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

[Arlie Stephens]

My ubuntu system locks up regularly. Bugs I've reported about this get closed for inattention, after being ignored, and queries about how to do basic debugging get the same treatment, so I just power cycle whenever it happens again.

This time the lock up happened while the GUI upgrade-everything-to-latest tool was running.

When I power cycled the box to recover, the system was unusable - flashing "system problem detected" popups, none staying stable long enough to respond.

ssh + "sudo apt-get update" + "sudo apt-get upgrade" pointed me to "sudo dpkg --configure -a"

That command reported numerous errors - I don't know which of them are "normal" for this system, but hidden by the GUI, and which are new.

But it got the system semi-usable from the GUI, so now I'm clicking on "yes, report it" for the many pop-ups, of which this is one.

FWIW, unattended-upgrades is one of the ones "dpkg --reconfigure -a" complained about.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: unattended-upgrades 0.90ubuntu0.8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-93.116-generic 4.4.79
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-93-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.10
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Nov 12 11:21:07 2017
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-04-26 (2026 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
PackageArchitecture: all
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.2
 apt 1.2.24
SourcePackage: unattended-upgrades
Title: package unattended-upgrades 0.90ubuntu0.7 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2017-03-31 (226 days ago)
mtime.conffile..etc.apt.apt.conf.d.50unattended-upgrades: 2017-06-25T18:42:16.676378

[Balint Reczey (rbalint)]

IMO this is fixed in latest unattended-upgrades version available via -updates.