package virtualbox-ext-pack (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: installed virtualbox-ext-pack package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1

[Wolf Rogner]

Fresh Ubuntu 18.04 install

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: virtualbox-ext-pack (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-20.21-generic 4.15.17
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-20-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7
AptOrdering:
 virtualbox-ext-pack:amd64: Install
 NULL: ConfigurePending
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Apr 30 16:29:17 2018
ErrorMessage: installed virtualbox-ext-pack package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-04-30 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180426)
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.6, Python 3.6.5, python3-minimal, 3.6.5-3
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.15rc1, python-minimal, 2.7.15~rc1-1
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.0.5ubuntu2
 apt 1.6.1
SourcePackage: virtualbox-ext-pack
Title: package virtualbox-ext-pack (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: installed virtualbox-ext-pack package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Wolf Rogner (war-rsb)]

Workaround:

Go to Oracle Virtualbox download page and download / install extension pack directly

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[James B Callahan (jamesbcallahan)]

The extension pack failed to install after installing Vrtualbox-5.2 dkms.
DKMS stands for Dynamic Kernel Module Support.

# download and register Oracle public key for apt-secure (Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial and later)
wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox_2016.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

sudo apt-get update

# Install Virtualbox 5.2
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-5.2 dkms # should this be virtualbox-5.2-dkms? or virtualbox-dkms?

# Install Virtualbox extension pack (needed for USB 3.0)
sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ext-pack

Going to reinstall Ubuntu and install Virtualbox-qt and then try extension.

[Wolf Rogner (war-rsb)]

It works with version
virtualbox-ext-pack:amd64 (5.2.10-3ubuntu18.04.1)

No fiddling required.

Thanks

[Robin Kirchner (lootbox)]

I have the same problem while trying to install virtualbox-ext-pack on Ubuntu 18.04. Now everytime I do apt-get update, I get an error, because it tries to install the extension pack again. Removing or purging the package doesn't work, because I also get an error:

sudo apt-get purge virtualbox-ext-pack
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED
  virtualbox-ext-pack*
0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 1 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 128 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 359582 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing virtualbox-ext-pack (5.2.10-3ubuntu18.04.1) ...
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Successfully uninstalled "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack".
VBoxManage: error: The installer failed with exit code 1: VBoxExtPackHelperApp: error: The owner is not root: '/usr'
VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), component ExtPackManagerWrap, interface IExtPackManager, callee nsISupports
VBoxManage: error: Context: "Cleanup()" at line 1261 of file VBoxManageMisc.cpp
dpkg: error processing package virtualbox-ext-pack (--remove):
 installed virtualbox-ext-pack package pre-removal script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 virtualbox-ext-pack
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Can anyone tell me how to remove he package, so that I don't get the error every time I update my packages? clean, autoclean, purge, remove, dpkg --remove... all didn't work.

[Sundar (sundar-ima)]

I have the same issue. This also affects the normal upgrade process if this package need to be upgraded between other packages. This lead to partial install of newer Linux image and rendered the OS non bootable. Here is the output text from terminal:-

$ sudo apt remove virtualbox-ext-pack
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  virtualbox-ext-pack
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 128 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 541278 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing virtualbox-ext-pack (5.2.10-3) ...
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Successfully uninstalled "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack".
VBoxManage: error: The installer failed with exit code 1: VBoxExtPackHelperApp: error: Failed open the base directory: VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND ('/usr/lib/virtualbox/ExtensionPacks')
VBoxManage: error: rcExit=1
VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), component ExtPackManagerWrap, interface IExtPackManager, callee nsISupports
VBoxManage: error: Context: "Cleanup()" at line 1261 of file VBoxManageMisc.cpp
dpkg: error processing package virtualbox-ext-pack (--remove):
 installed virtualbox-ext-pack package pre-removal script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 virtualbox-ext-pack
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)