Unable to fix broken packages with sudo apt-get install -f

Question

Here's my result, of sudo apt-get install -f. i have Ran it twice and got negative result. I believe there is an error at

"error in Version string '0:3.6.1-dates for language English
 Translation data updates for all supported packages for:
 English"

This same statement "error in Version string>>>>, caused me three days of attempting to download version 12.04. There is a bug report concerning the quoted text as well. Is there anyway to download the version without the language packs, why would I corrupt version 11.10?

Also, when attempting to download Synaptic using sudo apt-get install synaptic, I get the same error message.

Again I point out the initial download problems and the same error message receipt. Thanks

b0b@b0b-IC780M-A:~$ sudo apt-get install -f
[sudo] password for b0b: 
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 298 not upgraded.
b0b@b0b-IC780M-A:~$ sudo apt-get install -f
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 298 not upgraded.
b0b@b0b-IC780M-A:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  linux-headers-generic software-center
The following packages will be upgraded:
  accountsservice acpi-support acpid aisleriot alsa-utils
  app-install-data-partner appmenu-qt apport apport-gtk apt-transport-https
  apt-utils aptdaemon aptdaemon-data apturl apturl-common banshee
  banshee-extension-soundmenu banshee-extension-ubuntuonemusicstore baobab
  bind9-host binutils bluez-alsa bluez-cups bluez-gstreamer brasero
  brasero-cdrkit brasero-common checkbox checkbox-gtk command-not-found
  command-not-found-data compiz compiz-core compiz-gnome
  compiz-plugins-default compiz-plugins-main-default cups cups-bsd cups-client
  cups-common cups-ppdc deja-dup desktop-file-utils dnsutils empathy
  empathy-common eog evince evince-common evolution-data-server
  evolution-data-server-common file-roller firefox firefox-globalmenu
  firefox-gnome-support gbrainy gcalctool gconf2 gconf2-common gedit
  gedit-common ghostscript ghostscript-cups ghostscript-x gir1.2-atspi-2.0
  gir1.2-gconf-2.0 gir1.2-gnomebluetooth-1.0 gir1.2-gtk-3.0
  gir1.2-gtksource-3.0 gir1.2-totem-1.0 gir1.2-unity-4.0 gir1.2-webkit-3.0
  gnome-accessibility-themes gnome-bluetooth gnome-control-center
  gnome-control-center-data gnome-desktop3-data gnome-font-viewer
  gnome-games-common gnome-icon-theme gnome-mahjongg gnome-online-accounts
  gnome-orca gnome-power-manager gnome-screenshot gnome-search-tool
  gnome-session gnome-session-bin gnome-session-canberra gnome-session-common
  gnome-settings-daemon gnome-sudoku gnome-system-log gnome-system-monitor
  gnome-utils-common gnomine gstreamer0.10-gconf gstreamer0.10-plugins-good
  gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio gvfs gvfs-backends gvfs-bin gvfs-fuse gwibber
  gwibber-service gwibber-service-facebook gwibber-service-identica
  gwibber-service-twitter hpijs hplip hplip-cups hplip-data indicator-datetime
  indicator-session indicator-sound isc-dhcp-client isc-dhcp-common
  jockey-common jockey-gtk language-selector-common language-selector-gnome
  libaccountsservice0 libapt-inst1.3 libarchive1 libasound2-plugins
  libatk-adaptor libbind9-60 libbrasero-media3-1 libcamel-1.2-29
  libcanberra-gtk-module libcanberra-gtk0 libcanberra-gtk3-0
  libcanberra-gtk3-module libcanberra-pulse libcanberra0 libdecoration0
  libdns69 libebackend-1.2-1 libebook1.2-12 libecal1.2-10 libedata-book-1.2-11
  libedata-cal-1.2-13 libedataserver1.2-15 libedataserverui-3.0-1 libevince3-3
  libgconf2-4 libgnome-bluetooth8 libgnome-control-center1
  libgnome-desktop-3-2 libgoa-1.0-0 libgrip0 libgs9 libgs9-common libgtk-3-bin
  libgtksourceview-3.0-0 libgtksourceview-3.0-common libgweather-3-0
  libgweather-common libgwibber-gtk2 libgwibber2 libhpmud0 libimobiledevice2
  libisc62 libisccc60 libisccfg62 libjasper1 liblightdm-gobject-1-0 liblwres60
  libmetacity-private0 libmission-control-plugins0 libmono-zeroconf1.0-cil
  libnautilus-extension1 libnm-glib-vpn1 libnm-glib4 libnm-util2
  libnotify0.4-cil libnux-1.0-0 libnux-1.0-common libpam-gnome-keyring
  libreoffice-emailmerge libreoffice-style-human libsane-hpaio libsmbclient
  libsnmp-base libsnmp15 libsyncdaemon-1.0-1 libt1-5 libtotem0
  libubuntuone-1.0-1 libubuntuone1.0-cil libunity-2d-private0
  libunity-core-4.0-4 libunity6 libusbmuxd1 libwbclient0 libwebkitgtk-1.0-0
  libwebkitgtk-1.0-common libwebkitgtk-3.0-0 libwebkitgtk-3.0-common libxml2
  linux-generic linux-image-generic metacity metacity-common
  mobile-broadband-provider-info modemmanager mousetweaks multiarch-support
  nautilus nautilus-data nautilus-sendto-empathy network-manager nux-tools
  onboard openssl pulseaudio pulseaudio-esound-compat
  pulseaudio-module-bluetooth pulseaudio-module-gconf pulseaudio-module-x11
  pulseaudio-utils python-apport python-aptdaemon python-aptdaemon-gtk
  python-aptdaemon.gtk3widgets python-aptdaemon.gtkwidgets python-brlapi
  python-cups python-cupshelpers python-gobject-cairo python-httplib2
  python-launchpadlib python-libxml2 python-pam python-papyon
  python-pkg-resources python-problem-report python-pyatspi2
  python-software-properties python-ubuntuone-client
  python-ubuntuone-storageprotocol samba-common samba-common-bin seahorse
  shotwell simple-scan smbclient sni-qt software-properties-common
  software-properties-gtk sudo system-config-printer-common
  system-config-printer-gnome system-config-printer-udev telepathy-indicator
  telepathy-mission-control-5 thunderbird thunderbird-globalmenu
  thunderbird-gnome-support tomboy totem totem-common totem-mozilla
  totem-plugins ttf-opensymbol ubuntu-desktop ubuntu-minimal ubuntu-standard
  ubuntuone-client ubuntuone-client-gnome ubuntuone-couch unity unity-2d
  unity-2d-launcher unity-2d-panel unity-2d-places unity-2d-spread
  unity-common unity-lens-applications unity-services update-manager
  update-manager-core update-notifier update-notifier-common usbmuxd
  vim-common vim-tiny vinagre vino xorg xserver-xorg xserver-xorg-input-all
  xserver-xorg-video-all xserver-xorg-video-intel
  xserver-xorg-video-openchrome xul-ext-ubufox
296 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B/159 MB of archives.
After this operation, 10.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Extracting templates from packages: 100%
Preconfiguring packages ...
dpkg: error: parsing file '/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 4131 package 'python-zope.interface':
 error in Version string '0:3.6.1-dates for language English
 Translation data updates for all supported packages for:
 English
 .
 language-pack-en-base provides the bulk of translation data
 and is updated only seldom. This package provides frequent translation
 updates.': version string has embedded spaces
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
b0b@b0b-IC780M-A:~$ 

Answer 1

http://www.iasptk.com/ubuntu-fix-broken-package-best-solution

After trying

sudo dpkg --configure -a

and

sudo apt-get install -f

the problem of a broken package still exist the solution is to edit the dpkg status file manually.

sudo -i gedit /var/lib/dpkg/status

(you can use vi or nano instead of gedit)

Locate the corrupt package, and remove the whole block of information about it and save the file.

Answer 2

I was facing the issue while installing build-essentials after upgrading from 14.04 LTS to 16.04 LTS. I have written the detailed solution here. But for the sake of convenience I will reproduce the key points here.

Remove all dependent libraries (autoremove) and install all missing libraries using sudo apt-get -f install (-f means --fix-missing)

sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade 

Install ubuntu toolchain from PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-toolchain-r/test

Install aptitude.

sudo apt install aptitude

Recursively try installing the broken libraries until you solve the conflict by upgrading or fixing a specific library. In my case I had to fix libstdc++6

$ sudo aptitude -f install build-essential
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  build-essential cpp{a} cpp-5{a} g++{a} g++-5{a} gcc{a} gcc-5{a} libasan2{a} libcc1-0{ab} 
  libcilkrts5{a} libgcc-5-dev{a} liblsan0{ab} libmpx0{a} libstdc++-5-dev{a} 
The following packages will be upgraded:
  gcc-5-base libstdc++6{b} 
2 packages upgraded, 14 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
Need to get 29.6 MB of archives. After unpacking 100 MB will be used.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 liblsan0 : Depends: gcc-9-base (= 9.3.0-10ubuntu2~16.04) but 9.3.0-11ubuntu0~14.04 is installed.
 libcc1-0 : Depends: gcc-9-base (= 9.3.0-10ubuntu2~16.04) but 9.3.0-11ubuntu0~14.04 is installed.
 libstdc++6 : Depends: gcc-9-base (= 9.3.0-10ubuntu2~16.04) but 9.3.0-11ubuntu0~14.04 is installed.

As build-essential needs gcc-5.

$ sudo apt-get -f install gcc-5
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 gcc-5 : Depends: cpp-5 (= 5.5.0-12ubuntu1~16.04) but it is not going to be installed
         Depends: gcc-5-base (= 5.5.0-12ubuntu1~16.04) but 5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.12 is to be installed
         Depends: libcc1-0 (>= 5.5.0-12ubuntu1~16.04) but it is not going to be installed
         Depends: libgcc-5-dev (= 5.5.0-12ubuntu1~16.04) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

But gcc-5 in turn depends on cpp-5

$ sudo apt-get -f install cpp-5
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 cpp-5 : Depends: gcc-5-base (= 5.5.0-12ubuntu1~16.04) but 5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.12 is to be installed

cpp-5 depends on gcc-5-base. Here you can see there is a specific conflict. Aptitide gives multiple choices to solve the conflict. In my case upgrading the libstdc++6 solvd the problem.

$sudo aptitude -f install gcc-5-base
The following packages will be REMOVED:  
  gcc-5-base{u} 
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 67.6 kB will be freed.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 libstdc++6 : Depends: gcc-5-base (= 5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.12) but it is not going to be installed.
open: 115; closed: 488; defer: 35; conflict: 58                                                          .The following actions will resolve these dependencies:
 Keep the following packages at their current version:                        


gcc-5-base [5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.12 (now, xenial-security, xenial-updates)]




Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] n
The following actions will resolve these dependencies:
  Upgrade the following packages:                                                                     


 libstdc++6 [5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.12 (now, xenial-security, xenial-updates) -> 9.3.0-10ubuntu2~16.0

Finally, now the conlict is resolved try installing build-essentials again.

$ sudo aptitude -f install build-essential

Good Luck!

Answer 3

So I was struggling with this probbem from 2 days and now I have solved it....

First run this command

sudo software-properties-gtk

then check all box like this:

after that go to other software tab and untick all boxes like this:

and now click close button -> after that a window will be opened and click reload, I hope this will work you also....

Answer 4

Try this procedure.

It usually works for this sort of problem, even when the solutions people have proposed here so far don't. Furthermore, if it doesn't work, it still does give useful diagnostic information. So if it doesn't work, then please provide all the text from the Terminal. It will be rather long, so instead of putting it into your question, you may want to paste it at http://paste.ubuntu.com. You'll get a URL to see it, which you can add to your question.

Answer 5

I have made a script for fixing broken packages. This searches for the broken packages in the /var/log/dist-upgrade/apt.log and then finds the package names then applies the specified command on them.

Take care about using this script, because sometimes some broken packages are system related and might make a new problem. so use install or upgrade command instead of remove command.

Get it from here

Download the script using the below command:

wget https://gist.githubusercontent.com/EmpireWorld/8eb920165777399cfd684d8d4227a6e2/raw/17e6d4a151a6163aa45dd8302b965ed433b27741/fix-broken.sh

Then run it:

./fix-broken.sh

Also you can set the action you want to apply to broken packages like this:

./fix-broken (install|upgrade|remove)

The default action is remove.

Answer 6

If you have access to a terminal type in

sudo dpkg --configure -a

Wait a while everything should be taken care of.