[Bug 512096] Re: [MASTER] Exec format error : package failed to install/remove : installation/removal script returned error exit status 2

[Francewhoa]

Confirming this issue. Same here upgrading from 8.04 to 10.04.1 caused
the problem to appear.

All above solutions didn't work in my case. The following worked. In
Terminal:

--------------------------------
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-nonfree.postinst
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-nonfree.postrm
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-nonfree.prerm
sudo dpkg --force all --purge flashplugin-nonfree
--------------------------------

Thanks to sandyd
http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=9072362&postcount=21

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/512096

Title:
  [MASTER] Exec format error : package failed to install/remove :
  installation/removal script returned error exit status 2

Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in “dpkg” source package in Karmic:
  Won't Fix
Status in “dpkg” package in Debian:
  Fix Released

Bug description:
  Under some conditions package installation/upgrade/removal fails with
  the following error:

  -- Error during installation --
  Setting up screenlets (0.1.2-7) ...
  dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed post-installation script: Exec format error
  dpkg: error processing screenlets (--configure):
   subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2

  -- Error during removal --
  Removing gnome-do ...
  dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute installed pre-removal script: Exec format error
  dpkg: error processing gnome-do (--purge):
   subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2

  This error occurs when one of the installation or removal scripts
  (/var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE.p*) is empty or corrupted.

  == HOW TO REPRODUCE ==
  Install a package and emulates a system crash before 30 seconds:
  # apt-get install hello; sleep 20; echo b > /proc/sysrq-trigger
  [simulates a system crash]
  After reboot both installation and removal scripts are 0 bytes. You will notice that hello.list was correctly written to disk because of the fsync call in dpkg/src/filesdb.c
  $ ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.*
  -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 323 2010-02-09 00:42 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.list
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root   0 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.postinst
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root   0 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.prerm

  If you replay the test but adding a sync before the system crash:
  # apt-get install hello; sync;  echo b > /proc/sysrq-trigger
  After reboot the files are fine:
  $ ls -l  /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.*
  -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 323 2010-02-09 00:46 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.list
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 103 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.postinst
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  74 2009-08-15 19:17 /var/lib/dpkg/info/hello.prerm

  If I adjust /proc/sys/vm/dirty_expire_centisecs to be below the sleep
  time, ( for exemple 1000 in the test above ) then data are correctly
  written to disk.

  == WORKAROUNDS ==
  Execute the following commands in a terminal
  (GNOME: Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal
   KDE: KMenu -> Applications -> System -> Terminal [Konsole] )

  Workaround A: Remove the package and reinstall

  $ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/PACKAGE_VERSION.p*
  $ sudo apt-get remove --purge PACKAGE
  $ sudo apt-get clean
  $ sudo apt-get update

  Then reinstall the package

  Workaround B: Finish the install when the package can't be removed

  $ sudo apt-get clean
  $ sudo aptitude download PACKAGE
  $ sudo dpkg --unpack ./PACKAGE_VERSION.deb
  $ sudo dpkg --configure PACKAGE

  Replace PACKAGE with the package name which fails to install/remove.

  == Localization ==
  The same error in non-english language:
   . fr: Erreur de format pour exec()
   . Error de formato ejecutable
   . Errore di formato di exec
   . en: Exec format error
   . hu: Érvénytelen végrehajtható fájlformátum
   . Exec formátum hiba
   . nl: Verkeerd uitvoerbaar bestand
   . Exec 格式错误
   . sv: Formatfel på körbar fil
   . fi: Käynnistettävän tiedoston muoto virheellinen
   . zh_CN: 可执行文件格式错误
   . ja: 実行形式エラー
   . ru: Ошибка формата выполняемого файла
   . es: Formato de ejecutable incorrecto
   . ca: L’executable té un format erroni
   . it: Formato eseguibile non valido
   . de: Fehler im Format der Programmdatei
   . pt: Erro de formato de executável
   . pt_BR: Erro no formato exec
   . da: Ugyldigt format på eksekverbar fil
  More localizations can be found at https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/eglibc/+pots/

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