[SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

presario · 2009-02-11 13:18:35

I'm new to Arch, and yes I've read the Wiki and the sticky post "pacman error: FILENAME exists in filesystem".
I can't install or update packages. Just synced the local database. I want to install the package "mc", so I ran:

pacman -S mc

All required packages were downloaded but then I got lots of:

[package-name]: /path/to/file exists in file system

I tried to remove that package but it says:

loading package data...
error: '[package-name]': could not find or read package

I'm totally confused!

Last edited by presario (2009-02-13 05:08:06)

presario · 2009-02-11 13:23:45

The following were downloaded:
kernel-headers, tzdata, glibc, e2fsprogs, gcc-libs, pcre, glib2, ncurses, gpm, slang, mc

I also tried "pacman -S" on some of them but I'm getting the same "* exists in filesystem" error.

SamC · 2009-02-11 13:41:17

Is one of the errors klibc?

presario · 2009-02-11 13:44:37

No, I've listed the packages, see my second post
I have "* exists in filesystem" errors for each of the listed package

SamC · 2009-02-11 13:57:22

Can you post the errors? We cannot do much with just the generic format of them. Do any of the errors mention klibc?

presario · 2009-02-12 05:27:15

here's the output from "pacman -S mc"

resolving dependencies...
looking for inter-conflicts...

Targets: kernel-headers-2.6.27.6-2  tzdata-2009a-1  glibc-2.9-4  ncurses-5.7-2  

Total Download Size:    0.00 MB
Total Installed Size:   51.91 MB

checking package integrity...
checking for file conflicts...
error: could not prepare transaction
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/errno-base.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/errno.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/fcntl.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/ioctl.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/mman.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/poll.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/resource.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/siginfo.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/signal.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm-generic/statfs.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm/a.out.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm/auxvec.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm/boot.h exists in filesystem
kernel-headers: /usr/include/asm/bootparam.h exists in filesystem
...
tzdata: /usr/bin/tzselect exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/sbin/zdump exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/sbin/zic exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/man/man3/newctime.3.gz exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/man/man3/newtzset.3.gz exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Abidjan exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Accra exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Addis_Ababa exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Algiers exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Asmara exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Asmera exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Bamako exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Bangui exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Banjul exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Bissau exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Blantyre exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Brazzaville exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Bujumbura exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Cairo exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Casablanca exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Ceuta exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Conakry exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Dakar exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Dar_es_Salaam exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Djibouti exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Douala exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/El_Aaiun exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Freetown exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Gaborone exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Harare exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Johannesburg exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Kampala exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Khartoum exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Kigali exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Kinshasa exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Lagos exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Libreville exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Lome exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Luanda exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Lubumbashi exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Lusaka exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Malabo exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Maputo exists in filesystem
tzdata: /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/Maseru exists in filesystem
...
glibc: /etc/locale.gen exists in filesystem
glibc: /etc/nscd.conf exists in filesystem
glibc: /etc/rc.d/nscd exists in filesystem
glibc: /etc/rpc exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/ld-linux.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libBrokenLocale.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libSegFault.so exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libanl.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libc.so.6 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libcidn.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libcrypt.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libdl.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libm.so.6 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libmemusage.so exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnsl.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_compat.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_dns.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_files.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_hesiod.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_nis.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libnss_nisplus.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libpcprofile.so exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libpthread.so.0 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libresolv.so.2 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/librt.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libthread_db-1.0.so exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libthread_db.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /lib/libutil.so.1 exists in filesystem
glibc: /sbin/ldconfig exists in filesystem
glibc: /sbin/sln exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/catchsegv exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/gencat exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/getconf exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/getent exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/iconv exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/ldd exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/lddlibc4 exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/locale exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/localedef exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/mtrace exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/pcprofiledump exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/rpcgen exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/sprof exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/bin/xtrace exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/_G_config.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/a.out.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/aio.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/aliases.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/alloca.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/ar.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/argp.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/argz.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/ftp.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/inet.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/nameser.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/nameser_compat.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/telnet.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/arpa/tftp.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/assert.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/a.out.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/byteswap.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/cmathcalls.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/confname.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/dirent.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/dlfcn.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/elfclass.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/endian.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/environments.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/errno.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/error.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/fcntl.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/fcntl2.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/fenv.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/fenvinline.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/huge_val.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/huge_valf.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/huge_vall.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/in.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/inf.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/initspin.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/ioctl-types.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/ioctls.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/ipc.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/ipctypes.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/libc-lock.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/libio-ldbl.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/link.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/local_lim.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/locale.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mathcalls.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mathdef.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mathinline.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mman.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/monetary-ldbl.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mqueue.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/mqueue2.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/msq.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/nan.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/netdb.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/poll.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/posix1_lim.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/posix2_lim.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/posix_opt.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/printf-ldbl.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/pthreadtypes.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/resource.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/sched.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/select.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/sem.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/semaphore.h exists in filesystem
glibc: /usr/include/bits/setjmp.h exists in filesystem
...
ncurses: /bin/tput exists in filesystem
ncurses: /lib/libncursesw.so.5 exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/captoinfo exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/clear exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/infocmp exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/infotocap exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/ncursesw5-config exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/reset exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/tic exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/toe exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/bin/tset exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/curses.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursesapp.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursesf.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursesm.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursesp.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursesw.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/cursslk.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/eti.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/etip.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/form.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/menu.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/ncurses.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/ncurses_dll.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/panel.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/term.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/termcap.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/include/unctrl.h exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libcurses.a exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libcurses.so exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libcursesw.so exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libform.a exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libform.so exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libformw.a exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libformw.so exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libformw.so.5 exists in filesystem
ncurses: /usr/lib/libmenu.a exists in filesystem
...

i can't post the everything since it's too long (about 6000 lines), the forum is not letting me to post everything

presario · 2009-02-12 05:28:37

for example if i want to remove kernel-headers i get:

loading package data...
error: 'kernel-headers': could not find or read package

Allan · 2009-02-12 05:35:43

What do you in /var/lib/pacman/local

presario · 2009-02-12 05:37:29

nothing, empty

Allan · 2009-02-12 05:50:36

Well... that falls into the "not good" category. That folder should contain your local database of all packages you have installed.

To fix it is difficult. Your choices are to reinstall, or do a "pacman -Sf <pkg>" for each package that gives a file exists in system message. I would do a "pacman -Sf base" to fix those packages straight away. There are scripts around to list files that are not part of a package to help you track down the rest.

presario · 2009-02-12 05:55:59

how did it happen then? i mean why the folder is empty? i chose to keep packages in cache upon installation... other than that i didn't do anything special with pacman

Allan · 2009-02-12 06:11:38

In short, I have no idea. Do you have /var on a separate partition? The only times I have seen this previously was when people have accidentally deleted it.

presario · 2009-02-12 06:23:41

No it's under root, alright, i will reinstall and try again, and if that solves i'll mark the topic as solved
thanks Allan and SamC

Last edited by presario (2009-02-12 06:24:54)

presario · 2009-02-13 05:07:28

I reinstalled and now everything is fine, /var/lib/pacman/local now contains all installed packages
probably it was removed by accident
thanks

Arch Linux

#1 2009-02-11 13:18:35

[SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#2 2009-02-11 13:23:45

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#3 2009-02-11 13:41:17

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#4 2009-02-11 13:44:37

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#5 2009-02-11 13:57:22

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#6 2009-02-12 05:27:15

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#7 2009-02-12 05:28:37

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#8 2009-02-12 05:35:43

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#9 2009-02-12 05:37:29

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#10 2009-02-12 05:50:36

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#11 2009-02-12 05:55:59

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#12 2009-02-12 06:11:38

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#13 2009-02-12 06:23:41

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

#14 2009-02-13 05:07:28

Re: [SOLVED] Pacman: cant install, remove, update packages

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