HOWTO: Install downloaded .DEB packages (and their dependencies) in 2 steps

[jobezone]

HOWTO: Install downloaded .DEB packages (and their dependencies) in 2 steps

The first command will unpack the package, and most probably give an error of missing dependencies.
The second command instructs apt-get to fix this problem. If these dependencies are available in the repositories, it will install them, and sucessfully finish the installation of downloaded_package.deb.

sudo dpkg -i downloaded_package.deb
sudo apt-get -f install

Be aware though, that not all .DEB packages were made with your version of Ubuntu in mind. You should inform yourself if it was intended for Ubuntu Hoary. If it was not (for example, many are packaged with Debian in mind), it may still work, but then again it may not. It might even make apt-get want to remove some packages you want to keep. You'll have to tell him not to continue , and then remove the offending reason with

sudo apt-get remove downloaded_package

.
If you are not too knowledgable yet with apt-get, dpkg, or ubuntu for that matter, get your new software from the oficial Main and Backports repositories as much as you can (using Synaptic or apt-get). It have been reviewed, packaged and tested to integrate well with your ubuntu system.

[abish]

from shell, go to the folder where you have downloaded the .deb and the dependencies...
and then use:

sudo dpkg -i --force-depends *.deb

in a single line

[abish]

from shell, go to the folder where you have downloaded the .deb and the dependencies...
and then use:

sudo dpkg -i --force-depends *.deb

in a single line

[studiogrynn]

Thank you all!! Very helpful - and the

sudo dpkg -i --force-depends *.deb

is a real time saver!

John

[sque]

DONT USE --force-depends!
It will not install dependencies, but it will configure package without validating dependencies.
Installed package will probably NOT WORK at all or work with mysterious behaviour.

From the "man dpkg" it says for "depends":

depends: Turn all dependency problems into warnings

To properly install follow the first post:

sudo dpkg -i downloaded_package.deb
sudo apt-get -f install