For anyone interested in how I broke my package management in gNewSense (a ubuntu derivative) read on the terminal commands that I have tried. I still do not understand what I did that led to it not working anymore.
jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo apt-get install gtk-devel [sudo] password for jastiv: E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ dpkg --configure dpkg: requested operation requires superuser privilege jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo dpkg --configure dpkg: --configure needs at least one package name argument Type dpkg --help for help about installing and deinstalling packages [*]; Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management; Type dpkg -Dhelp for a list of dpkg debug flag values; Type dpkg --force-help for a list of forcing options; Type dpkg-deb --help for help about manipulating *.deb files; Type dpkg --license for copyright license and lack of warranty (GNU GPL) [*]. Options marked [*] produce a lot of output - pipe it through `less' or `more' ! jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ dpkg --help Usage: dpkg [<option> ...] <command> Commands: -i|--install <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ... --unpack <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ... -A|--record-avail <.deb file name> ... | -R|--recursive <directory> ... --configure|--triggers-only <package> ... | -a|--pending -r|--remove <package> ... | -a|--pending -P|--purge <package> ... | -a|--pending --get-selections [<pattern> ...] Get list of selections to stdout. --set-selections Set package selections from stdin. --clear-selections Deselect every non-essential package. --update-avail <Packages-file> Replace available packages info. --merge-avail <Packages-file> Merge with info from file. --clear-avail Erase existing available info. --forget-old-unavail Forget uninstalled unavailable pkgs. -s|--status <package> ... Display package status details. -p|--print-avail <package> ... Display available version details. -L|--listfiles <package> ... List files `owned' by package(s). -l|--list [<pattern> ...] List packages concisely. -S|--search <pattern> ... Find package(s) owning file(s). -C|--audit Check for broken package(s). --print-architecture Print dpkg architecture. --compare-versions <a> <op> <b> Compare version numbers - see below. --force-help Show help on forcing. -Dh|--debug=help Show help on debugging. -h|--help Show this help message. --version Show the version. --license|--licence Show the copyright licensing terms. Use dpkg -b|--build|-c|--contents|-e|--control|-I|--info|-f|--field| -x|--extract|-X|--vextract|--fsys-tarfile on archives (type dpkg-deb --help). For internal use: dpkg --assert-support-predepends | --predep-package | --assert-working-epoch | --assert-long-filenames | --assert-multi-conrep. Options: --admindir=<directory> Use <directory> instead of /var/lib/dpkg. --root=<directory> Install on a different root directory. --instdir=<directory> Change installation dir without changing admin dir. -O|--selected-only Skip packages not selected for install/upgrade. -E|--skip-same-version Skip packages whose same version is installed. -G|--refuse-downgrade Skip packages with earlier version than installed. -B|--auto-deconfigure Install even if it would break some other package. [--no-]triggers Skip or force consequential trigger processing. --no-debsig Do not try to verify package signatures. --no-act|--dry-run|--simulate Just say what we would do - don't do it. -D|--debug=<octal> Enable debugging (see -Dhelp or --debug=help). --status-fd <n> Send status change updates to file descriptor <n>. --log=<filename> Log status changes and actions to <filename>. --ignore-depends=<package>,... Ignore dependencies involving <package>. --force-... Override problems (see --force-help). --no-force-...|--refuse-... Stop when problems encountered. --abort-after <n> Abort after encountering <n> errors. Comparison operators for --compare-versions are: lt le eq ne ge gt (treat empty version as earlier than any version); lt-nl le-nl ge-nl gt-nl (treat empty version as later than any version); < << <= = >= >> > (only for compatibility with control file syntax). Use `dselect' or `aptitude' for user-friendly package management. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ apt-get -f install E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (13 Permission denied) E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), are you root? jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo apt-get -f install E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo apt-get install gtk-devel [sudo] password for jastiv: E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ man dh_make No manual entry for dh_make jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ man dpkg jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ dpkg --configure -a dpkg: requested operation requires superuser privilege jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo dpkg --configure -a [sudo] password for jastiv: Setting up initramfs-tools (0.85eubuntu36) ... update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated) Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ... update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 Cannot find /lib/modules/2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 dpkg: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1 jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ lspci | grep -i vga 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Unknown device 06e4 (rev a1) jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo dpkg --configure -a [sudo] password for jastiv: Setting up initramfs-tools (0.85eubuntu36) ... update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated) Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ... update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 Cannot find /lib/modules/2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-2.6.30.7-libre-fshoppe1 dpkg: subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1 jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo apt-get -f install E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ sudo apt-get -f install E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem. jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ tail /var/log/dpkg.log 2011-01-26 21:39:56 status triggers-pending initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:39:56 trigproc initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:39:56 status half-configured initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 startup packages configure 2011-01-26 21:56:26 configure initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 status half-configured initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 status installed initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 status triggers-pending initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 trigproc initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 0.85eubuntu36 2011-01-26 21:56:26 status half-configured initramfs-tools 0.85eubuntu36 jastiv@localhost:~/Programs$ _______________________________________________ gNewSense-users mailing list gNewSense-users@nongnu.org http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnewsense-users