update manage hangs with some old install junk

[SwampYankee]

Hi,
I installed java a while back but the original installation failed and I 
had to install by hand.  I thought I existed the synaptics manager 
gracefully, but now each time I install something it gets hung and I 
have to look in the details and clean up something that looks like this:

ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
subprocess post-installation killed by signal (Interrupt)
Errors were encountered while processing
sun-java6-doc
type no and hit return to cancel

Once I cancel the install continues untill I get a message saying

E: sun-java6-doc: subprocess post-installation script killed by signal 
(Interrupt)

  I hit close and then synaptics returns to normal.  It also has 
installed everything I asked.  I just don't want to have to manually 
carry out these steps every time I do an update.  How do I get rid of 
these messages and the necessity to intervene with every installation?
thanks