`ucf' is missing final newline <- My apt-get suddenly doesn't work

[IrIT]

Hi all!

First of all, nice distro, nice community!

Yesterday i wantet to install gFTP. So as always, i typed: 'Sudo apt-get install gFTP'
But after it has downloaded, i get the following error, when it's trying to install:

/var/cache/apt/archives/gftp-text_2.0.17-6_i386.deb (--unpack):
files list file for package `ucf' is missing final newline
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

I just thought, that it was only gFTP i had problems with.
But now i have discovered, that no matter what program i try to install, i get the samme error

I'm completly new to linux, so maybe this is a very stupid question.

Also, sorry for my bad english. But english isn't mu native language.

[IrIT]

Aren't there anyone who can help me? Or do i have to reinstall Ubuntu?

[fng]

i have the same problem

[az]

Try:

sudo dpkg --clear-avail

Did you have any nasty (non-official) repositories in your list? How about unofficial packages? (like skype or ymessenger)

[fng]

That didnt work. Still the same error.

I only had backports + wesnoth as "unofficial repos". I commented those, run an apt-get update but still the same problem.

[oxlarge]

I had a similar problem after fsck corrupted some of my files during a fix, and the way that I got around the problem was by moving the entire /var/lib/dpkg/info to /var/lib/dpkg/info_moved, and create a new info dir. I then successfully installed a random pkg (the 'acct' pkg) using synaptic. Since this worked fine, I moved the acct files in the new info dir to the info_moved directory, and then moved the entire info_moved directoy back to info. Phew.

That is to say:

# mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/ /var/lib/dpkg/info_moved

# mkdir /var/lib/dpkg/info

<installed the acct pkg using synaptic>

# mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/* /var/lib/dpkg/info_moved

# rm /var/lib/dpkg/info

# mv /var/lib/dpkg/info_moved /var/lib/dpkg/info

Voila

[Schuler]

I attempted to do this, but it appears that after updating to "Dapper", I no longer have permission to access/alter most files.

So far for me, Ubuntu =

[Fyre2012]

I'm having similar issues with my Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop.

Did a fresh clean install... first thing i did was upgrade everything the update manager flagged (about 90 updates), i let it fly, new kernel, then x stops booting.

Got the same error as IrIT, except i'm getting it trying to apt-get install nvidia-glx to reconfig X... nice recursive bug of DOOM

I'll post if i come up with a solution

=)

[hordur]

Hello.

I had a similar problem with another package.
I spent a lot of time trying to fix and I finally managed to do it.
Here's what I did:
1. Edit the file /var/lib/dpkg/status , look for the listing for the broken package, remove the info for that package.
2. mv /var/lib/dpkg/info /var/lib/dpkg/info_old
3. mkdir /var/lib/dpkg/info
4. apt-get update, apt-get -f install
5. mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/* /var/lib/dpkg/info_old/
6. rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/info
7. mv -f /var/lib/dpkg/info_old /var/lib/dpkg/info

I don't know if all the steps are necessary, maybe 1 and 4 are enough.

[Fredizdman]

Hello.

I had a similar problem with another package.
I spent a lot of time trying to fix and I finally managed to do it.
Here's what I did:
1. Edit the file /var/lib/dpkg/status , look for the listing for the broken package, remove the info for that package.
2. mv /var/lib/dpkg/info /var/lib/dpkg/info_old
3. mkdir /var/lib/dpkg/info
4. apt-get update, apt-get -f install
5. mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/* /var/lib/dpkg/info_old/
6. rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/info
7. mv -f /var/lib/dpkg/info_old /var/lib/dpkg/info

I don't know if all the steps are necessary, maybe 1 and 4 are enough.

This solution worked for me. (libhtml-tree-perl) was the offending package. I only did steps 1 and 4 just to see and it did work.