Broken packages - again

[neilwin]

Mint 10 KDE. When I first installed this version and tried for an update to the packages I had to deal with a broken package first. I found that information from this forum. That was some time ago. Now I have the same message again, but this time with a different set of updates waiting. ( I have updated many times meanwhile). So my question is, how can I tell which package(s) is/are causing the problem? Last time I just had to deselect the relevant package, as given in the forum, and all was well. This time I have run 'Fix broken packages' from the menu but it has had no effect.

Help please .....

[neilwin]

Further to my previous query. I had a look through the listed updates and spotted that it included Firefox v5. Well, I am running version 4.0.1 and I have never even considered version 5. I deselected this package in the list and the updates ran OK. So my query now had become, why would the updates include a new version of FF which I have never even looked at. Isn't FF v5 still being developed? I thought that updates were only about packages and versions of those packages that are actually installed. Is that not the case?

Thanks for any help with this...

[Oscar799]

For your broken packages problem try this in a terminal

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sudo apt-get install -f  && sudo apt-get update 

[colyn]

Firefox v5 is out of development and is now stable.

[neilwin]

I have now found out that FF v5 stable version is out. However, I have not long moved up to version 4 so I don't want to bother with v5. I had some more updates this afternoon which included FF v5 again so I marked it as not wanted for updates and all now seems OK. I know that I have FF v4 installed but I did not expect to see V5 appear in the updates. I would expect updates to V4 only. Anyway, it is fine now thanks.

[smsmith]

Firefox has moved to a "rapid release schedule", so version 5 is not very different than version 4. It's more like an update from v4.0.1 to v4.1 than anything else.

[AlbertP]

v3.6 to 4.0 was a bigger difference.

Now with FF 5.0 I don't see any difference, except of the faster loading time.

[piper65]

I got the same problem just this morning.

I just got the updates for FF5, and when I try to update it tells me that I have to deal with broken packages first.

For your broken packages problem try this in a terminal

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sudo apt-get install -f  && sudo apt-get update 

I tried this and it didn't work.

thanks in advance.

[AlbertP]

Please run these commands:

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apt clean
apt install -f
apt update

Or open Package Manager, go to Special Filters > Broken Packages. There you can somehow fix the packages (but it may happen that the broken packages aren't shown there).

[AdamS]

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sudo apt-get remove

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sudo apt-get autoremove

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sudo apt-get clean

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sudo apt-get autoclean

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sudo apt-get update

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sudo-apt-get upgrade

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sudo apt-get install -f

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sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

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sudo dpkg --configure -a

[AlbertP]

Please first await the result of the 3 commands I posted, before trying other things.

I'd first try this one if it still does not work:

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apt autoremove

(Note that you can abbreviate sudo apt-get to apt)

[AdamS]

That is a collection of ready to copy and paste commands to fix nearly any package issue.

By no means do you need to use all, but you might.

Use what ya need, but I absolutely guarantee that what you need is there.

ALL would be wise to keep a copy of them on hand at all times.

[piper65]

Thanks

Only a dist-upgrade worked to update it.

The other methods wouldn't solve the problem and it kept telling me that i had broken packages.

[AdamS]

like I said, save them to a text file. They come in handy at times.

[BubbaBlues]

Speaking of Firefox 5, I added the firefox ppa (http://ppa.launchpad.net/mozillateam/fi ... ext/ubuntu) to my sources list and installed it via synaptic. I haven't had any problems at all, and like AlbertP said it is faster. In fact I was stunned at how much faster it is. I like it a lot.