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BigSack
Asked: 2012-08-18 03:25:17 +0800 CST

Just Now Purged Packages By Mistake

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I purged the following packages by mistake. How do i reinstall them. Here are logs.

I was trying to Remove And Purge Orca Screen Reader.

Start-Date: 2012-08-17 07:16:01 Commandline: apt-get --purge remove orca*

Upgrade: python-ubuntuone-storageprotocol:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1, 3.0.0-0ubuntu1.1), libcamel-1.2-29:i386 (3.2.3-0ubuntu6, 3.2.3-0ubuntu7), libpulse0:i386 (1.1-0ubuntu15, 1.1-0ubuntu15.1), python-ubuntuone-client:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1, 3.0.1-0ubuntu1.0.1)
Purge: ubuntuone-client:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), ubuntuone-control-panel:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), gstreamer0.10-alsa:i386 (0.10.36-1), libpurple0:i386 (2.10.3-0ubuntu1), liborc-0.4-0:i386 (0.4.16-1ubuntu2), gir1.2-totem-1.0:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu21), python-gst0.10:i386 (0.10.22-3), unity-2d:i386 (5.10.0-0ubuntu1), libyelp0:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), gstreamer0.10-x:i386 (0.10.36-1), gnome-media:i386 (3.4.0-0ubuntu2), metacity:i386 (2.34.1-1ubuntu11), bluez-gstreamer:i386 (4.98-2ubuntu7), ubuntu-docs:i386 (12.04.4), gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly:i386 (0.10.18.3-1ubuntu1), brasero-cdrkit:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), oneconf:i386 (0.2.8), libreoffice-calc:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), zenity:i386 (3.4.0-0ubuntu2), pulseaudio:i386 (1.1-0ubuntu15), libfolks-eds25:i386 (0.6.8-2), gir1.2-ubuntuoneui-3.0:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), libreoffice-gnome:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), totem-plugins:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu21), rhythmbox:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), ubuntu-sso-client:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), gnome-control-center:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), python-ubuntuone-control-panel:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), ubuntu-desktop:i386 (1.267), libreoffice-emailmerge:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), libreoffice-core:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse:i386 (0.10.21-1), libtotem0:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu21), libavcodec-extra-53:i386 (0.8.3ubuntu0.12.04.1), ubuntuone-client-gnome:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), gstreamer0.10-plugins-good:i386 (0.10.31-1ubuntu1), libavformat53:i386 (0.8.3-0ubuntu0.12.04.1), libreoffice-writer:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), libreoffice-draw:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), unity-scope-musicstores:i386 (5.10.0-0ubuntu1), shotwell:i386 (0.12.2-0ubuntu2), libdmapsharing-3.0-2:i386 (2.9.14-1), rhythmbox-mozilla:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), software-center:i386 (5.2), libsyncdaemon-1.0-1:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), libschroedinger-1.0-0:i386 (1.0.11-1), rhythmbox-plugin-zeitgeist:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), libwebkitgtk-3.0-0:i386 (1.8.0-0ubuntu2), gir1.2-webkit-3.0:i386 (1.8.0-0ubuntu2), ubuntu-sso-client-gtk:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), libreoffice-base-core:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), gnome-orca:i386 (3.4.0-0ubuntu2), gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg:i386 (0.10.13-1), rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), telepathy-haze:i386 (0.6.0-0ubuntu1), libubuntuoneui-3.0-1:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), librhythmbox-core5:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), libreoffice-help-en-us:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), python-uno:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), libreoffice-style-human:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), sessioninstaller:i386 (0.20+bzr123-0ubuntu2), pulseaudio-module-bluetooth:i386 (1.1-0ubuntu15), libtelepathy-farstream2:i386 (0.4.0-0ubuntu1), gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio:i386 (0.10.31-1ubuntu1), pulseaudio-module-x11:i386 (1.1-0ubuntu15), gnome-online-accounts:i386 (3.4.0-0ubuntu1), libgoa-1.0-0:i386 (3.4.0-0ubuntu1), gnome-user-guide:i386 (3.4.1-1), apturl:i386 (0.5.1ubuntu3), libreoffice-impress:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), indicator-datetime:i386 (0.3.94-0ubuntu2), nautilus-share:i386 (0.7.3-1ubuntu2), gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad:i386 (0.10.22.3-2ubuntu2), evolution-data-server:i386 (3.2.3-0ubuntu6), rhythmbox-plugins:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), libgstreamer-plugins-bad0.10-0:i386 (0.10.22.3-2ubuntu2), python-ubuntu-sso-client:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), gimp:i386 (2.6.12-1ubuntu1), libbrasero-media3-1:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), rhythmbox-ubuntuone:i386 (3.0.0-0ubuntu1), yelp:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), gir1.2-rb-3.0:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4), libreoffice-math:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), pulseaudio-module-gconf:i386 (1.1-0ubuntu15), indicator-sound:i386 (0.8.5.0-0ubuntu2), libcanberra-pulse:i386 (0.28-3ubuntu3), libmjpegtools-1.9:i386 (1.9.0-0.5ubuntu7), brasero:i386 (3.4.1-0ubuntu1), libreoffice-common:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), libwebkitgtk-1.0-0:i386 (1.8.0-0ubuntu2), libquicktime2:i386 (1.2.3-4build2), totem:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu21), gstreamer0.10-plugins-base:i386 (0.10.36-1), indicator-power:i386 (2.0-0ubuntu1), libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0:i386 (0.10.36-1), libfarstream-0.1-0:i386 (0.1.2-0ubuntu1), totem-mozilla:i386 (3.0.1-0ubuntu21), libreoffice-style-tango:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), libreoffice-gtk:i386 (3.5.2-2ubuntu1), rhythmbox-plugin-magnatune:i386 (2.96-0ubuntu4)
package-management

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    Looks like apt-get's wildcard search is broken! I tried some simulations (-s option).

    I tried sudo apt-get -s --purge remove orca* and it said it wanted to remove 84 packages.

    I tried sudo apt-get -s --purge remove orc* and the number went up to 1446.

    I tried sudo apt-get -s --purge remove orcaa* and the list was 'gnome-orca' and 'ngorca'.

    I'd agree with the suggestion to reinstall ubuntu-desktop and then test the wildcard search with option -s to give you a list of what it's going to do before it does it.

    Now, where the bug report address for the apt-get maintainers... :)

    While logging the bug report, I realised that the match is a regex (regular expression) hence '*' means zero or more of the preceeding character. orcaa* works becuase is 'o','r','c','a' followed by zero or more 'a' characters so the 'a*' serves simply to flag it as a regex search rather than an exact match. Canonically, it should probably be '.*' meaning zero or more of any character.

    Your match, 'orca*', matches anything with 'o','r','c' followed by zero or more 'a' characters hence you get a lot more packages. For example, it matched liborc-0.4.0 which would have forced anything depending on that to be removed as well. apt-get may also have removed other items which were installed to satisfy dependencies and are no longer required.

    (PS: it's not a bug!)

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  2. You should be able to get back to a sane place by reinstalling ubuntu-desktop.

    It's probably going to reinstall orca though :)

    To chroot in and restore this from a LiveCD:

    1. Boot to a LiveCD and click Try.
    2. Set up your network connection. You're going to need it.
    3. Open a terminal. The rest of this is terminal driven.

    4. Work out what the /dev/sdXY path is to your real partition with:

      sudo fdisk -l

    5. Mount that under /mnt (change XY to what you found in #4):

      sudo mount /dev/sdXY /mnt

    6. Cross-mount some of the running things (so the chroot has live access to hardware):

      for i in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do sudo mount -B $i /mnt$i; done

    7. Chroot in like a ninja!

      sudo chroot /mnt

    8. Fix everything!

      sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
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