[SOLVED] Broken dpkg? (can't remove icewm-common)

[Kevbert]

Do you get problems with the PC freezing when running other programs (not installing) ? If so, you may have an overheating problem. It might be worth running the memory checker (available on start-up) for a while.
I've had a look on launchpad and there's only one bug on there which freezing occurs with icewm-common - see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/155003. It might be worth raising a bug report (with as much info as possible). Let the experts have a go at resolving the problem.
The only other way I can see you'll get rid of this is to do something drastic and re-install the OS.
Are you using Fluxbox instead of icewm ?
This problem must be solvable!!!

[johnraff]

Hi Kevbert, thanks for sticking with this!

Do you get problems with the PC freezing when running other programs (not installing) ?

I've never had freezing while installing/uninstalling before. Swiftweasel (kind of Firefox) often freezes with sites using Flash, but it's only that program - xkill will get it - and that seems to be a fairly common issue. I do sometimes get freezing while logging in; I put that down to some gdm bugginess, and a restart fixes it.

If so, you may have an overheating problem.

Hmm... don't want to rule anything out, but it feels different: activity gradually builds up - cpu, ram and cache usage climb up over 15 seconds or so, at which point the system is unresponsive. (The SysRq key stuff does work though.) So it looks as if some kind of endless task is being run through over and over...

It might be worth running the memory checker (available on start-up) for a while.

Aah... I'd like to try that- how do you do it?

Are you using Fluxbox instead of icewm ?

Right now I'm using Xubuntu. I only tried icewm briefly in the search for something lighter (I've only got 128MB of RAM) but now I think eventually I'll move to Openbox.

The only other way I can see you'll get rid of this is to do something drastic and re-install the OS.

Yes, that's an option. I've system-upgraded this box step by step from Breezy to Feisty, so a clean install of Gutsy or eventually Hardy would probably get rid of a lot of messy stuff. It would be a lot of work getting the software and settings back though, and it seems so... windozeish...

I think now I'll try and understand the dpkg manual a bit better, then scour the net for some tutorials.

If nothing comes up I might just delete (or rename) the files listed by synaptic as belonging to icewm-common, edit the /var/lib/dpkg/status file's entry for icewm-common to not-installed, then see what happens...

This problem must be solvable!!!

exactly!

[Kevbert]

Hi again.
Yes, Firefox is a problem for me. I tried FF 3b5 when I installed Hardy and had the PC freeze solid as soon as I browsed anything with flash. That's why I now have Gutsy again and FF 2.0.0.14.
The memory check is menu option when you boot-up (a Grub menu item). I'm not clued up on Feisty having been recently converted from Windows. If you don't get this menu item then an easy way is to get hold of a Gutsy Live CD, or a Hardy one (from https://shipit.ubuntu.com/) and use that. Unfortunately Shipit only seem to send out Heron CDs now. How to get Gutsy CDs seem to be a bit of a problem, you may have to buy one locally. Personally I don't think you've got a memory problem. When you first turn on the PC, the computer runs a power on self test (POST) which performs a very basic memory test (but of course the PC is cold and therefore memory faults are less likely to show up).
I wouldn't touch Hardy at present until it's a little more stable, somethings are an improvement on Gutsy, some are not.
Good luck.

[johnraff]

Yay!!! Finally fixed it.
man dpkg and Google weren't very much help, but the person in this thread had a similar problem, and solved it by deleting all the files, so I ignored the Dire Warnings I'd seen, bit the bullet and had a go:

*Got a list of all the files installed by icewm-common from Synaptic (the list's in /var/lib/dpkg/info/icewm-common.list too) and renamed them to whatever-disabled.

*Opened /var/lib/dpkg/status, found the bit referring to icewm-common and changed it (using the entry for icewm as a guide) to:

Package: icewm-common
Status: purge ok not-installed
Priority: optional
Section: x11

This seemed to fix it! All the error messages went away, and I'm able to use Synaptic, apt-get and dpkg as normal.

*For good measure I also renamed all the icewm-common related files in /var/lib/dpkg/info

If no problems turn up in the next couple of days I'll delete all those files and mark the thread "solved". Thanks for your help and encouragement, Kevbert.

Firefox is a problem for me. I tried FF 3b5 when I installed Hardy and had the PC freeze solid as soon as I browsed anything with flash. That's why I now have Gutsy again and FF 2.0.0.14.

You might want a look at this thread if you haven't already.

The memory check is menu option when you boot-up (a Grub menu item).

aah, yes - now I remember seeing it flash by.Thanks

Shipit only seem to send out Heron CDs now. How to get Gutsy CDs seem to be a bit of a problem

What I'll probably use if I do a clean install is unetbootin which does it all online without a CD.

I wouldn't touch Hardy at present until it's a little more stable

That's how I feel. Maybe I'm now ready to upgrade to Gutsy! Feisty/Xubuntu has been quite good on the whole really, but software is starting to come out that needs Gutsy...

[Kevbert]

Congratulations. This should be filed somewhere useful as I'm sure others will come across the same sort of problem.

[johnraff]

Well, no issues seem to have come up so I've marked this as "solved".
Now to delete all those renamed files.

As to publishing this "solution" more than just having it here on the forum, I'm not sure...

1) I still don't really know what the problem was, just how to "fix" it.

2) I'm not sure if it's such a good idea to encourage people to go in with sudo and delete files, at least not without a lot of thought and research first.

Anyway, cheers!