The same happened for me upgrading from 11.04 to 11.10. Solution:
alt and F2 then type: gksudo service mysql stop hey presto! install continues -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/885554 Title: mysql-server-5.1 Unpacking Halts 11.04-11.10 Server Upgrade To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/mysql-5.1/+bug/885554/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs