package xulrunner-1.9 1.9.0.10+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.9.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2

[Sonny]

Binary package hint: xulrunner-1.9

Unable to install/uninstall/reinstall/run firefox.

ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
ErrorMessage: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Package: xulrunner-1.9 1.9.0.10+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.9.04.1
SourcePackage: xulrunner-1.9
Title: package xulrunner-1.9 1.9.0.10+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.9.04.1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686

[Sonny (aadityabhatia)]

$ sudo dpkg --purge xulrunner-1.9
(Reading database ... 113621 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing xulrunner-1.9 ...
update-alternatives: error or eof reading /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner for update_mode ()
dpkg: error processing xulrunner-1.9 (--purge):
 subprocess pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 xulrunner-1.9

[Sonny (aadityabhatia)]

Copying the file "/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner" from another machine fixed the problem.
The file was deleted upon purging the package "xulrunner-1.9", while the package "xulrunner-1.9.1" was still installed.
Successfully re-installed "xulrunner-1.9" afterwards, which is required by "firefox".

What triggered the problem? Was it caused by installing "shiretoko" without removing "firefox"?

[Cristiano 147 (c-pomini)]

many thanks, i will try your solution.
I don't know what causes the problem.. I have only installed KUBUNTU
9.04. A windows proposed me 3 security updates, i launched this updates,
my pc crashed, and after the crash this little problem start. Firefox
run correctly, but every time i launch other installation or upgrades
this message of error appears!

Aaditya ha scritto:
> Copying the file "/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner" from another machine fixed the problem.
> The file was deleted upon purging the package "xulrunner-1.9", while the package "xulrunner-1.9.1" was still installed.
> Successfully re-installed "xulrunner-1.9" afterwards, which is required by "firefox".
>
> What triggered the problem? Was it caused by installing "shiretoko"
> without removing "firefox"?
>
>

[Arne Nordmann (launchpad-norro)]

I may have triggered the problem with installing firefox 3 and firefox 3.1/3.5 in parallel.

[Cristiano 147 (c-pomini)]

i've tryed your solution, now xlurunnere in correctly installed!!
Many many thanks!!

Aaditya ha scritto:
> Copying the file "/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner" from another machine fixed the problem.
> The file was deleted upon purging the package "xulrunner-1.9", while the package "xulrunner-1.9.1" was still installed.
> Successfully re-installed "xulrunner-1.9" afterwards, which is required by "firefox".
>
> What triggered the problem? Was it caused by installing "shiretoko"
> without removing "firefox"?
>
>

[Volegost (ffrooty)]

SPASIBO !! Thanks a lot!
>> Copying the file "/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner" from another machine fixed the problem.
>> The file was deleted upon purging the package "xulrunner-1.9", while the package "xulrunner-1.9.1" was still installed.
>> Successfully re-installed "xulrunner-1.9" afterwards, which is required by "firefox".
>>
>> What triggered the problem? Was it caused by installing "shiretoko"
>> without removing "firefox"?
>>
>>
>>
>
>

[kingcharles1666 (kingcharles1666)]

What is the solution if you do not have access to another machine to take xulrunner?
I cannot seem to purge it and re-installing does not help.
Problem was caused by normal update by the update manager.
Thanks

[Sonny (aadityabhatia)]

> What is the solution if you do not have access to another machine to take xulrunner?

Create a new file "/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner" with the following contents (exclude the ===):

===
auto
/usr/bin/xulrunner

/usr/bin/xulrunner-1.9
50

===

-Aaditya

[kingcharles1666 (kingcharles1666)]

Aaditya,

Unfortunately this does not solve the problem for me.

[kingcharles1666 (kingcharles1666)]

Solved it by manually removing all the files belonging to the xulrunner package and editing the dpkg status file by setting it to: purge ok not-installed.
Then re-installed the package and now all is well.

[Ben (bugben)]

For me removing the file (/var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner) was what I finally needed to do to complete the install, so to summarize:

Delete the files listed here: http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/i386/xulrunner-1.9/filelist
Delete /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/xulrunner
resinstall manually by downloading xulrunner from: http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/i386/xulrunner-1.9/download

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

should be fixed a while back.

[sdaau (sd-imi)]

Had the same issue on upgrade from 9.04 to 9.10 ; removing manually as in https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xulrunner-1.9/+bug/370093/comments/11 and https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xulrunner-1.9/+bug/370093/comments/12 helped.

Maybe the issue was in me having xulrunner 1.9.1 in 9.04; however the default universe version for xulrunner in both 9.04 and 9.10 seems to be 1.8.1.16 ??

[sdaau (sd-imi)]

Funnily, after I removed everything, ran sudo apt-get install xulrunner (which installed 1.8.1.16), and tried to remove it, and again I get "error: no alternatives for xulrunner" ..

If I copy the xulrunner file into /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives, and try to apt-get remove xulrunner, it says "update-alternatives: warning: alternative /usr/bin/xulrunner-1.9 (part of link group xulrunner) doesn't exist. Removing from list of alternatives" and the removal process fails yet again..

Is there not a way to force a dpkg removal even if update-alternative fails?

[sdaau (sd-imi)]

Ok, followed http://blog.ixti.ru/archives/6 (via https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnash/+bug/422745 ) - and basically a line
   update-alternatives --remove-all xulrunner
in /var/lib/dpkg/info/xulrunner.prerm needs to be commented - however, just commenting it will cause the bash script to fail, so just replace that line with something like "echo blabla" and then it will be possible to sudo apt-get remove --purge xulrunner ...

[Cristiano 147 (c-pomini)]

I solved the problem one year ago, only substituting the corrupted file
xulrunner on /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives with a file xulrunner taken from
another computer... then sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade.
This fixed my problem.

Il giorno mer, 04/11/2009 alle 21.43 +0000, sdaau ha scritto:
> Ok, followed http://blog.ixti.ru/archives/6 (via https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnash/+bug/422745 ) - and basically a line
> update-alternatives --remove-all xulrunner
> in /var/lib/dpkg/info/xulrunner.prerm needs to be commented - however, just commenting it will cause the bash script to fail, so just replace that line with something like "echo blabla" and then it will be possible to sudo apt-get remove --purge xulrunner ...
>