apt-get, can't boot, wtf 770

[soldstatic]

I love my 770 and use it at least every day, except for the last week cause when i turn it on it doesnt boot 98% of the time. This started shortly after I updated some of my packages and after I installed some new ones. My thought is that perhaps somebody that manages the repository I was using accidentally put an 800 library instead of a 770 library or something, cause now it starts to boot but freezes right when it should switch from the nokia words to the splash screen with the hands, you know.


Here is the log output using application manager when i try to remove / upgrade packages that i think are screwin stuff up:
osso-application-installer 4.22, UI version 1
[ Some installed packages are broken! ]
[ Some installed packages are broken! ]
-----
Upgrading dropbear-server 0.49-1mh2 to 0.49-1mh3
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libreadline4
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libsmbclient
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libosso-gnomevfs2-common
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package gnomevfs-sftp
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package osso-xterm
/bin/sh: /usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure: not found
(Reading database ... 16029 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace dropbear-client 0.48.1-1mh4 (using
.../dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb) ...
[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
(--unpack):
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)

[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess post-installation script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
Preparing to replace dropbear-server 0.49-1mh2 (using
.../dropbear-server_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement dropbear-server ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
-----
Upgrading dropbear-client 0.48.1-1mh4 to 0.49-1mh3
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libreadline4
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package dropbear-server
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libsmbclient
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libosso-gnomevfs2-common
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package gnomevfs-sftp
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package osso-xterm
/bin/sh: /usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure: not found
(Reading database ... 16029 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace dropbear-client 0.48.1-1mh4 (using
.../dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb) ...
[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
(--unpack):
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)

[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess post-installation script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
-----
Upgrading rdesktop 0.1 to 0.4
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libreadline4
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package dropbear-server
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libsmbclient
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package libosso-gnomevfs2-common
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package gnomevfs-sftp
apt-worker: not configuring unrelated package osso-xterm
/bin/sh: /usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure: not found
(Reading database ... 16029 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace dropbear-client 0.48.1-1mh4 (using
.../dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb) ...
[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
(--unpack):
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)

[: ==: unknown operand
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess post-installation script killed by signal (Segmentation fault)
Preparing to replace rdesktop 0.1 (using .../rdesktop_0.4_armel.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement rdesktop ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/dropbear-client_0.49-1mh3_armel.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)


This sucks. I need to get all of my broken packages back up and running. If my 770 turns off, it doesn't boot 90% of the time when I try to turn it back on. It's very very broken and needs major help. If there was a button to flash it back to the way it came, out of box, i'd do it, but I don't see that button anywhere. Can someone please help me fix these packages? I think that there are some screwy libraries or something cause it freezes while booting.

Is there any way to see more debugging info as the thing boots? I'd like to where it's hanging up.

If I can't get it to boot, is there a way to flash it back to defaults?

pleeease help

[fpp]

You mean you've never flashed your 770 to a new version ? Doing that is documented in many threads around here and will solve your problem, just search around (and remember to backup first).

[TA-t3]

Hmm.. I seem to recall a similar uninstall problem some weeks ago.. I think that postinstall-rm script needs Perl or something, which isn't normally installed. Unfortunately I don't remember the fix procedure that worked out best. But reflashing might be your easiest way out.

[soldstatic]

First off thank you soo much for replying, i was worried that all the 770 communities would be dead...

i flashed to upgrade to the 06 os, i flashed exactly once to do this and put it in RnD mode.

what would i be flashing now?? it doesn't support the latest os does it? thats only for the 800??

i've got it booted, and running, very VERY slow for some reason... gotta kill some processes or somethin by uninstalling stuff i don't use as often.

problem is, if it gets overloaded (runs out of ram or something) with too much crap going on (ie switching between windows [like i said its VERY slow]) then it shuts off and sometimes i can and sometimes i can't boot...

if i can't boot how do i flash something to it? maybe it doesnt boot all the way to get into repair mode

[fpp]

1) the latest version you can flash the 770 to is the one starting with 3.2006
(there is an experimental version of the 2007 OS for the 770 but it's for serious hackers only :-)

2) if you just flashed it and haven't reinstalled anything yet it should not run unusually slow. I can think of two possibilities :

- either the flashing went bad (it happens), so if you haven't restored anything yet you may as well try again and see if it goes better,

- maybe there is a problem with the MMC card, try booting without it and see if it's faster...
(it's a good idea to take tha card out beofre flashing, too)

3) if it appears the card is OK, RAM problems can be avoided by activating swap ("virtual memory") through the Memory applet in the control panel.

[soldstatic]

i havent flashed it since the 06 OS came out. When that came out I falshed the new one on there.

So the consensus is I need to flash a later version of the OS? I didn't know there was one, but so be it!

[fpp]

Yup. And there's little reason to put it in R&D mode, too. In 2005 it was the easiest way to BecomeRoot, but with 2006 there's a package of that name that's even simpler.

[soldstatic]

yea that is the only reason i put it in rd mode.

thanks for the help. i'll flash new os on it and see if that helps.

i don't remember from the last time, but will i need to re-install every program I had on there?

[revwillie]

Yes, you have to reinstall all your apps.

I'm about to flash gregale on my 770 again. I'm having the same symptoms with slowness and rebooting. I had system monitor plugin installed and it tells me that the root filesystem is all the way full. Does anyone know how to remedy that? I cannot remember the way to display the file system capacities and remaining space in linux CLI. Is there a proc file for that?

[penguinbait]

df

or

df -h

[revwillie]

thanks, penquinbait. I can't believe I forgot that.

I uninstalled a few things. The largest app installed is flite and it's only 2 megs. Mapper's maps are stored on the card but the poi.db (small) is in the device storage. With my 1GB card in and a 64 meg swap file, this is what I get:

Filesystem 1k-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mtdblock4 2048 2048 0 100% /mnt/initfs
none 512 24 488 5% /mnt/initfs/tmp
/dev/mtdblock4 126464 69372 57092 55% /
none 512 24 488 5% /tmp
none 1024 44 980 4% /dev
/dev/mmcblk0p1 1019104 795456 223648 78% /media/mmc1

So, obviously, I have tons of trouble booting up if the card with a swap file is not in the device. I need more than 64 megs of memory to run in the above state. I actually see that 90-95% of root is full around the time that the device first boots up. Is initfs supposed to be full? That's all static config stuff, right?

I tried to reflash last night, but the DST issue caused the Nokia upgrader to lock me out. Yet another computer problem to deal with when I get time. Is there something like temp files or cache that I could just rm while I'm in xterm?

[soldstatic]

btw, re-flashing worked fine. Had to re-insert the dang repositories so I could begin installing programs and such. I wish it were a bit more like gentoo so I didn't have to go get the list of repos and the garage could have them all incorporated some how. :-(