Home / ubuntu / Questions / 607965
In Process
Hedley Finger
Asked: 2015-04-12 03:22:27 +0800 CST

How do I fix dependency and tar problems with linux-image-extra* package?

  • 772

Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS Trusty Tahr
linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.56 is current package

The Ubuntu Software Updater is set to check for updates daily. The last set of updates included linux-image-extras*. However, linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.81_i386.deb could not be installed, owing first to a tar unpack problem and second to unresolved dependencies.

Ubuntu Software Centre produced this output (in part):

installArchives() failed: (Reading database ...     
(Reading database ... 5%  
...  
(Reading database ... 100%  
(Reading database ... 523867 files and directories currently installed.)  
Preparing to unpack .../linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.81_i386.deb ...  
Unpacking linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic (3.13.0-49.81) ...  
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.81_i386.deb (--unpack):  
 corrupted filesystem tarfile - corrupted package archive
dpkg-deb: error: subprocess paste was killed by signal (Broken pipe)  
Errors were encountered while processing:  
 /var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.81_i386.deb  
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-image-generic:  
 linux-image-generic depends on linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic; however:  
  Package linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic is not installed.  

dpkg: error processing package linux-image-generic (--configure):  
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured

After looking through apparently similar questions, I tried some of the suggested solutions:

$ sudo apt-get clean  
$ sudo apt-get autoremove  
$ sudo apt-get -f install  
$ sudo apt-get update  
$ sudo apt-get upgrade

I am somewhat hampered in pursuing further solutions because after the above attempts, connection to my wifi router was lost and I can't restore it. The cordless mouse also stopped working, and the display is too wide (behaving as though the aspect ratio is 16:9, instead of the 4:3 it actually is). The system preferences are correct for all these problems, so possibly some drivers have gone AWOL.

14.04

2 Answers

  1. The problem with linux-image-extra-3.13.0-49-generic_3.13.0-49.81_i386.deb not being updated over the previous release was caused by the package being damaged in some way when Ubuntu Software Centre, Synaptic, or apt-get downloaded it.

    Go to the temporary download folder ... 

     gksudo nautilus /var/cache/apt/archives

    ... and delete the package .deb file. Now rerun the update in the package manager of your choice.

    • 1

  2. The problems with the connection to my wifi router being lost and being unable to restore it, the cordless mouse note working, and the display being too wide would have taken days to debug and fix manually. Search in askubuntu for the many questions related to these issues, in my case probably stemming from the linux-image-extras* package.

    Take the easy way out and reinstall your current release of Ubuntu without damaging your data:

    1. Back up your home directory (~/),
    2. Download the latest *.iso image and burn an installation DVD, and
    3. Boot off the DVD and choose Install at the startup page.

    See

    • 0