Ubuntu – Dpkg: error: cannot scan updates directory `/var/lib/dpkg/updates/’

aptdpkgpackage-managementsoftware installation

I want to install a package in Ubuntu 14.04, but every time I run the ./configure command it gives me this error:

E: Cannot get debconf version. Is debconf installed?
debconf: apt-extracttemplates failed: No such file or directory
Extracting templates from packages: 35%E: Cannot get debconf version. Is debconf installed?
debconf: apt-extracttemplates failed: No such file or directory
Extracting templates from packages: 70%E: Cannot get debconf version. Is debconf installed?
debconf: apt-extracttemplates failed: No such file or directory
Extracting templates from packages: 100%
dpkg: error: cannot scan updates directory `/var/lib/dpkg/updates/': No such file or directory
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)

Best Answer

It seems you have done something terrible to the directory /var/lib/dpkg refer to this posts here to know more about dpkg This and This

Back to your problem, to solve the problem, you should try doing the following,

First Option

Return the dir status only if it was the one messed up.

sudo mkdir /var/lib/dpkg/updates

Then do

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Then install the packages as normal

Second Option(This solution assume you have completely messed up with /var/lib/dpkg

Restore a backup of /dpkg/status/ from /var/backups/ or /var/lib/dpkg/ since status holds the database of dpkg,you will probably be able to restore the database and everything will turn back to normal.

In the dir /var/backups/ you will be having a folder like dpkg.status.0 ,and compressed file dpkg.status.1 ,dpkg.status.2 etc,this are the backups we are targeting,we are going to use backup dpkg.status.0 to restore,do the following:

Since you already have dir /var/lib/dpkg
Copy the backup to that dir 

sudo cp /var/backups/dpkg.status.0 /var/lib/dpkg/

NOTE:The latest backup is dpkg.status.0 file,but If you want to backup from the archive file i.e. dpkg.status.#.gz do

sudo cp /var/backups/dpkg.status.#.gz /var/lib/dpkg/

gunzip -d /var/lib/dpkg/dpkg.status.#.gz

Then rename dpkg.status.# to status i.e. dpkg.status.0

sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/dpkg.status.0 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Then create the folder update

sudo mkdir /var/lib/dpkg/update

Then sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade

After that you can install the softwares as normal!

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