Running the command below will fix package errors and dependency problems arising out of this issue.
I'm leaving it for now since I don't have a better answer but it is something to think about. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. (Synaptic is also available in Ubuntu.). Usually the best 1st step to resolving this is to identify the source of
Note that the methods suggested below are not in any order. The thing is that the package manager (APT) tries to solve all these dependencies automatically if it is possible. Delete the held packages one by one, running dist-upgrade each time, until there are no more held packages. This was a huge help for me fresh install of Lubuntu 12.04 and couldn't install basic things such as gvim (vim-gtk) or openssh-server. 
Click on Settings > Repositories.
sudo apt-get install -f, 5.Purge the recently added ppa using ppa-purge You can do so with the following command.
Choose a better server fixed it for me. 
Also, make sure that you really need to add external repositories as the software package(s) you are looking for may already have been introduced into the official repositories! No matter the reasons for the problem, you can always setup for manual compilation and build the needed package and all of it's dependencies in the exact needed versions from source.
Repositories that are not designed to work with your version of Ubuntu can introduce inconsistencies in your system and might force you to re-install.
Note: All commands asked to be run must be run in the terminal, which can be opened by either Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for terminal in the dash. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
So the best thing is unhold them and delete them. I'll keep adding more things ill find to fix unmet dependencies. Sometimes the layers of dependencies can seem overwhelming, but the concept is simple and key to understanding how software is installed/uninstalled in an Ubuntu system. Hit Alt+F2, type software-properties-gtk and hit Enter. Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. Try this command to find and repair the conflicts: If it cannot fix the conflicts, it will exit with: 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded. Occasionally, when I'm installing stuff, I get an error like the following: APT is a package management system for Debian and other Linux distributions based on it, such as Ubuntu. @Braiam Whaaaat does have a point though, the question isn't specific to a PPA and quite a few answers aren't either. If everything behind the scenes is working as it should, however, it's paramount to understand dependencies. To fix this problem, hit Alt+Ctrl+T to open terminal and try to run one of the following commands: apt-get clean clears out the local repository of retrieved package files (the .deb files). How to Copy Files from One Directory to Another in Linux, How to Copy File to Multiple Directories in Linux, How to Use Variable As Key in JavaScript Object, How to Access Iframe Content With JavaScript, How to Convert Form Data to JSON in JavaScript. yes,in most cases it resolves the dependencies. The best way to do this is to run PPA-Purge command explained above. The command below will make an attempt to fix these issues either by installing and repairing broken dependencies or by removing a package altogether that is responsible for dependency conflict. type ctrl+alt+t to open terminal and type sudo apt-get install -f and follow the onscreen instructions, If still error occurs, Feel free to to ask it in askbuntu. 7 Also make sure you have all the official repositories enabled (In Software Sources). Next time you need to reinstall a package that has been already cached, Ubuntu will get the deb package from cache folder instead of re-downloading it from server. 5. This can be counter-productive in some cases, This will remove all cached packages belonging to the folder /var/cache/apt/archives/ and /var/cache/apt/archives/partial except the .lock files. Then finally, call the apt-get install: This rarely happened during my long years of linux use, but I found myself using this approach seldomly and succeeded. In the end I tried to use, ..and it worked flawlessly!
It is possible to simulate the installation of a package to check any potential errors occurring during real installation. Now let us look at the different ways to fix this problem. In my case, I wanted to install libmagickwand-dev: So, I ran apt-get install for one of the failing dependencies: Fore some strange reason, this succeeded, and I was able to install the original package I wanted with apt-get install libmagickwand-dev: Excellent answers! In this article, we will look at how to resolve unmet dependencies in Ubuntu. Installing Guest Additions causing problems, libapache2-mod-php5 : Depends: php5-common, Unable to install Skype ("Unmet dependencies" error), How to fix broken packages after AMDGPU-PRO install fail, Ubuntu Software is not installing or updating anything. The first command cleans local repositories, except lock files from /var/cache/apt/archives, and /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/. You can explore all aptitude options from here.
To install Synaptic, run command: Launch Synaptic Package Manager from app launcher.
What drives the appeal and nostalgia of Margaret Thatcher within UK Conservative Party? In the Ubuntu Software tab, selecting Main server in Download from dropdown list is almost guaranteed to fix any package availability issues. You'll be asked to save a tar.gz file with a dialog similar to the one below. If it shows any held packages, it is best to eliminate them. When it says that it is not possible (and issues a message like in the question), then you should trust it.
To do so just uncheck the checkbox in front of a PPA.
Here's my advice. It just makes me wish apt and or dpkg had better protections to make sure they didn't get into these stuck broken states, or were better at resolving them.
This also happens if you before added an external ppa for the broken dependency.Try removing that ppa by, purging a ppa (this removes the installed files also). To install Y PPA Manager, open terminal by hitting Alt+Ctrl+T and run following commands: Considering the question, apt is broken, so use these commands instead. Also, try disabling some PPAs which might be having broken packages, Click the Download from the Dropdown box and select other, This is a tool used to purge broken/unwanted ppa's and their applications along with it, But, Considering the question apt is broken so the above command will fail. For instance, if you accidentally closed the terminal or your PC turns off suddenly, apt wont be able to finish setup. In addition to those answers above -- I have to admit I am surprised that nobody have mentioned this approach which, is what I have always used as a "silver bullet" at any time I encountered apt-get conflicts or unresolved packages (or even if the system is being stubborn.ha!). How do I resolve unmet dependencies after adding a PPA?
Aptitude's conflict resolver will walk you through the possible combinations of installed/removed/upgraded/etc packages that satisfy your requested actions without conflict. Change the Download Server from Software Sources Because sometimes the files on a server are corrupted. I had tried all sorts of command line options, including literally doing a diff of /etc/apt/sources.list from this machine and another (that worked correctly, running Xubuntu). However, most of these dependency errors can be minimized by installing apps from official, reputed and trusted sources. In order for your installation to be completed, package1 needs package2.
Even though Ubuntu disables any PPAs before doing a system upgrade, to prevent unmet dependency errors during and after a system upgrade, you should manually remove any third party PPAs. Here you can also add and remove PPAs. There are two commands available to upgrade Ubuntu packages, both having different behaviors: The commands to upgrade and dist-upgrade respectively are: Ubuntus package manager apt keeps downloaded packages in a cache folder. The reason for this may be that the later versions of package2 where built by some newer technology that is not supported by other packages that you already have installed. Even though we have not heard of malware or adware distributed through PPAs so far, there is always a risk as these are third party repositories having packages unverified by Ubuntu developers. Please do not enable the Proposed Updates as they are meant for testing/developers. You call apt-get to purge the failed package you were trying to install in the system, and then you call build-dep command, which apt-get will grab and install dependencies individually belonging to this package, so that way they'll satisfy the package prior. package2 has to be available in version >= 1.8, The package manager checked all repositories and only found version 1.7.5-1ubuntu1 that could be installed, which it won't do because it is < 1.8, open software center ,and try to install any software , If the following dialog box appeared ,press on the repair button ,and wait. They offer a host of advantages in terms of installation, removal, monitoring, and handling interactions between pieces of software over the standard "build from source" model. In the twin paradox or twins paradox what do the clocks of the twin and the distant star he visits show when he's at the star? These are some methods that can be used to fix and prevent dependency errors in Ubuntu. when I tried to install some other package (for example. This is probably the cleanest solution, and sometimes can be faster to do. Before you proceed, please take a backup of configuration files /etc/apt/sources.list and /var/lib/dpkg/status files with the following commands. If no 4 is not your case then atleast try to remove the package that is being shown as a broken dependency.Then try again installing.This is reported to have workeed for quite a few people.
This is recommended, This scans the folders /var/cache/apt/archives/ and /var/cache/apt/archives/partial and checks if the package is still in the repositories and removes the ones that aren't, This will cause apt to scan for missing dependencies and fix them from the repositories. Why had climate change not been proven beyond doubt for so long? In this article, we have looked at many different ways to fix unmet dependencies. These interruptions are usually because of factors out of control of the apt package manager. How can recreate this bubble wrap effect on my photos?
Try running the following command and try to reinstall the software you were trying to install, apt keeps a cache of recently downloaded packages to save bandwidth when it is required to be installed.
With this option you can keep what you built in a separate directory and out of the system path so that it will not create conflicts with the system. (Beware, it might destroy your config files, so back them up!). There are also other files/commands that you need the output of that might be error specific, and users will probably prompt you in the comments to post the file/command. Now use aptitude to install your package, instead of using apt-get, Sometimes, a corrupted package database can also cause the issue of unmet dependencies. It will get all packages that depends on ubuntu-desktop meta package. When asking for help on Askubuntu or any other help forum, you should include the output of the following commands in your question: This will show the list of PPAs (If any): Y PPA Manager:
There are many scenarios why this can happen and one has to investigate all options and try to solve the preconditions that lead to this error.
"': apt-get autoclean is the key in this solution. It provides an interface to browse through layers of dependencies, including recommended and suggested packages.
Sometimes you get The following packages have unmet dependencies error during installation or upgrade of a particular package in Ubuntu. If you see words like unmet dependencies, broken packages, packages have been kept back in terminal output, chances are that you may have dependency conflicts. 
In the panel go to Edit and select Software Sources. :). However, it is important to keep your system up-to-date and use only trusted PPAs to avoid these kind of issues. A Personal Package Archive or a PPA is a software repository that allows Ubuntu users to upgrade or install new packages from unofficial sources. I've had this problem before and was quite frustrated when.
Remove duplicate PPAs. Note that these methods will only remove PPA repositories, leaving behind any previously upgraded or installed packages in the system. After having tried close to every method mentioned in this thread (and others) I was close to giving up. Can a human colony be self-sustaining without sunlight using mushrooms? Hit Alt+F2 and run software-properties-gtk.
Aptitude combines a lot of apt options in a single command so that you dont have to run multiple commands to fix errors.
Data Imbalance: what would be an ideal number(ratio) of newly added class's data? To remove a PPA and installed packages run the following commands: (Ignore the first command if you don't want to remove the installed packages). If you're trying to install a package which depends on many i386 packages, the above stated dependency error also would be caused if you fail to add i386 architecture by running sudo dpkg --add-architecure i386 command. Top notch answer!
Save it in another partition or a safe place. Decisions made by users during installation or system level problems out of control of users can lead to broken packages.
You can also remove PPA repositories only. Package dependency errors are not always generic and depends on the package to be installed.
apt-get was no help at all. Very simply, packages are an alternative to downloading, building, and installing software from scratch. Use the following command to remove a particular package.
If you decide not to trust the package manager and if you are sure that you will not have problems, then you can try to force install the specific needed versions of all packages, one by one, and hope to be OK. Beware, doing this for system packages can create serious problems. Run apt-get install -f to fix broken dependencies in your system. You may also want to include this warning: "Never ever upgrade your system while PPA is enabled, disable them first and then upgrade" Because, if you upgrade to a PPA version and then that PPA becomes dead, it eventually means you're dead. ->. Using apt-get clean, apt-get autoclean, apt-get autoremove, apt-get upgrade, apt-get update, apt-get -u dist-upgrade, etc. So use this command.
document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); How to Resolve bin/sh: 1: source not: found, How to Find Inode number of File in Linux, How to Limit Memory & Time of Processes in Linux, How to Append One File to Another in Linux, How to Mount Remote Directory or Filesystem in Linux. If 'ppa-purge' command fails for some reason, you can't run 'ppa-purge' again unless you re-enable the PPA (To enable the PPA follow the same steps as disabling a PPA and Check the both lines of a particular PPA to enable it).