Debconf/dpkg--Cannot install anything or repair broken pacakges

**Habitual** · May 14th, 2015

OK.
All I can think of to do is try:

Code:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure debconf

and if that runs without any "FATAL" type reports, then try one of these (or a variant)

Code:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

or

Code:

sudo apt-get install --reinstall tzdata

I do not believe that any one "magic command" is going to fix this for you, so I suggest you take deep breaths and examine closely
the output given in any one single shell command before proceeding to another command.

**Aspiegeek** · May 14th, 2015

Thanks for the suggestions, I believe I've tried all of those before...results:

Code:

# dpkg-reconfigure debconf
/var/lib/dpkg/info/debconf.postinst: 42: .: Can't open /usr/share/debconf/confmodule

....because it does not exist, /usr/share/debconf is empty

Code:

 # dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: tzdata is broken or not fully installed
# sudo apt-get install --reinstall tzdata
E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'sudo dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem.

Code:

# dpkg --configure -a
Setting up tzdata (2015d-0ubuntu0.14.04) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/info/tzdata.postinst: 9: .: Can't open /usr/share/debconf/confmodule
dpkg: error processing package tzdata (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
Setting up libpam-systemd:amd64 (204-5ubuntu20.11) ...
Can't exec "/usr/share/debconf/frontend": No such file or directory at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Client/ConfModule.pm line 78.
VERSION 2.0

...And back to that same old hang again.
That line 78 in /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/Client/ConfModule.pm reads,

Code:

exec "/usr/share/debconf/frontend", $0, @ARGV;

but, as stated above, "/usr/share/debconf/ is empty.

Content of that file is way beyond my comprehension.

It would seem tzdata, dpkg and debconf are all broken. Possiblilty of manually reinstalling them?

The irony of this is, the system runs fine and all programs work, except for the inability to install anything.