package update-notifier-common 3.168.8 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Paul Craciunoiu]

Sorry if the formatting isn't up to bar, this is one of my first tickets here. Please advise as to how to help you help me resolve this issue.

This is the result of `sudo apt upgrade`:

Setting up update-notifier-common (3.168.8) ...
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloader", line 24, in <module>
    import debian.deb822
  File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/debian/deb822.py", line 38, in <module>
    import chardet
ImportError: No module named 'chardet'
dpkg: error processing package update-notifier-common (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of flashplugin-installer:
 flashplugin-installer depends on update-notifier-common (>= 0.119ubuntu2); however:
  Package update-notifier-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package flashplugin-installer (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                          dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of update-notifier:
 update-notifier depends on update-notifier-common (= 3.168.8); however:
  Package update-notifier-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package update-notifier (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                          Setting up libdpkg-perl (1.18.4ubuntu1.4) ...
Setting up dpkg-dev (1.18.4ubuntu1.4) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 update-notifier-common
 flashplugin-installer
 update-notifier
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: update-notifier-common 3.168.8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-36.40~16.04.1-generic 4.13.13
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-36-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Mar 15 08:15:40 2018
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-11-27 (107 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20170215.2)
PackageArchitecture: all
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.3
 apt 1.2.25
SourcePackage: update-notifier
Title: package update-notifier-common 3.168.8 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

python3-chardet is a dependency of python3-debian, and should never be absent from your system. Have you done something to modify your python installation? Is the python3-chardet package installed? Is /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/chardet/__init__.py present on the filesystem?

[Paul Craciunoiu (embrangler)]

Yeah, oops. That file doesn't exist.

I haven't done anything to the default python installation that I know of? My python3 version shows up as 3.6.3. I forget how to check if it's coming from debian/ubuntu default servers, but I'd imagine so.

My computer crashed from low battery just before this happened. As far as I know, updates were working before, but I can't be sure that file existed yesterday.

Perhaps there is an easy way to reinstall chardet? Or all potentially crucial python3 packages?

[Paul Craciunoiu (embrangler)]

$ dpkg -l | grep python3-chardet
ii python3-chardet 2.3.0-2 all universal character encoding detector for Python3

Seems to think it's installed...

[Paul Craciunoiu (embrangler)]

Just wanted to post an update in case it helps others. Looks like re-installing python3-chardet fixed the issues I was having (so far). I am not sure what made the package disappear other than the crash.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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