Thread: Broken packages - can't install libgmp3c2

for first time in several years ubuntu use have problem package system update: "sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned error code (2)". won't install libgmp3c2 or fix broken packages. appreciate help.

see following output terminal:


richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get update
[sudo] password richard:
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid release.gpg
ign http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ lucid/partner translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid release
get: 1 http://dl.google.com stable release.gpg [198b]
ign http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid release.gpg
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/restricted translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid/partner packages
get: 2 http://dl.google.com stable release.gpg [198b]
ign http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/ stable/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/universe translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/multiverse translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates release.gpg
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/restricted translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/universe translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/multiverse translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security release.gpg
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/restricted translation-en_gb
get: 3 http://dl.google.com stable release [1,347b]
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid release.gpg
ign http://linux.dropbox.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/universe translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/multiverse translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid release
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates release
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security release
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid release
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/restricted packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/restricted packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse packages
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid/main packages
get: 4 http://dl.google.com stable release [1,347b]
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/restricted packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse sources
get: 5 http://dl.google.com stable/main packages [1,185b]
get: 6 http://dl.google.com stable/main packages [765b]
fetched 5,040b in 2s (2,327b/s)
reading package lists... done
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get upgrade
reading package lists... done
building dependency tree
reading state information... done
might want run ‘apt-get -f install’ correct these.
following packages have unmet dependencies.
cpp-4.4: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
g++-4.4: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
guile-1.8-libs: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
libmpfr1ldbl: depends: libgmp3c2 (>= 4.2.dfsg-1) not installed
librasqal2: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
python-crypto: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
e: unmet dependencies. try using -f.
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get -f install libgmp3c2
reading package lists... done
building dependency tree
reading state information... done
following new packages installed
libgmp3c2
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 remove , 4 not upgraded.
1 not installed or removed.
need 0b/331kb of archives.
after operation, 709kb of additional disk space used.
dpkg: parse error, in file '/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 1303:
invalid package name (may not empty string)
e: sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned error code (2)
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ uname -q
uname: invalid option -- 'q'
try `uname --help' more information.
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ uname -a
linux main-pc 2.6.32-37-generic #81-ubuntu smp fri dec 2 20:35:14 utc 2011 i686 gnu/linux
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get update
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid release.gpg
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/restricted translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid release.gpg
ign http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ lucid/partner translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/universe translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/multiverse translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates release.gpg
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/restricted translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/universe translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/multiverse translation-en_gb
get: 1 http://dl.google.com stable release.gpg [198b]
ign http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security release.gpg
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/restricted translation-en_gb
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid release.gpg
ign http://linux.dropbox.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid release
get: 2 http://dl.google.com stable release.gpg [198b]
ign http://dl.google.com/linux/talkplugin/deb/ stable/main translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/universe translation-en_gb
ign http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/multiverse translation-en_gb
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid release
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates release
hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid/partner packages
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid release
get: 3 http://dl.google.com stable release [1,347b]
get: 4 http://dl.google.com stable release [1,347b]
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security release
get: 5 http://dl.google.com stable/main packages [1,185b]
hit http://linux.dropbox.com lucid/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/restricted packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/restricted packages
get: 6 http://dl.google.com stable/main packages [765b]
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/restricted packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/restricted sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe sources
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse packages
hit http://archive.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse sources
fetched 5,040b in 1s (3,493b/s)
reading package lists... done
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get upgrade
reading package lists... done
building dependency tree
reading state information... done
might want run ‘apt-get -f install’ correct these.
following packages have unmet dependencies.
cpp-4.4: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
g++-4.4: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
guile-1.8-libs: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
libmpfr1ldbl: depends: libgmp3c2 (>= 4.2.dfsg-1) not installed
librasqal2: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
python-crypto: depends: libgmp3c2 not installed
e: unmet dependencies. try using -f.
richard@main-pc:~/desktop$ sudo apt-get -f install libgmp3c2
reading package lists... done
building dependency tree
reading state information... done
following new packages installed
libgmp3c2
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 remove , 4 not upgraded.
1 not installed or removed.
need 0b/331kb of archives.
after operation, 709kb of additional disk space used.
dpkg: parse error, in file '/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 1303:
invalid package name (may not empty string)
e: sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned error code (2)

hi & welcome forums,

try running:

code:

sudo dpkg --clear-avail

and try apt-get commands again? man page says, "erase existing information packages available", seems causing problem.

note future, if you're posting long output above, please surround code tags? can selecting text, , clicking # button on post toolbar. thanks.

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