[Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

PythonLinux · 2021-07-29 01:28:56

While I was doing the tests with the kernel parameters (which so far is going good, see here for more details on that) I decided to continue installing KDE and Plasma which was disrupted by the last system freeze (see previously linked thread for more on that). When I do so I get some really weird errors along the lines of

step: /usr/share/step/examples/lt/first.step exists in filesystem

You can see the entirety of that log here https://privatebin.net/?2472e5ad0e678e8 … B8Ty8xwJ5M

This only occurs when attempting to install plasma and kde-applications. I can install other stuff with pacman just fine. How do I go about cleaning up the mess the interrupted installation has left? (I could remove those million files manually but that sounds like a huge pain. I assume there's probably an easier way to do it right?)

Last edited by PythonLinux (2021-07-30 03:27:08)

jasonwryan · 2021-07-29 01:34:30

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman … )%22_error

PythonLinux · 2021-07-29 02:03:16

This error appears to affect every package that's part of kde-applications (since I made the post I've verified this doesn't affect the plasma package). Should I run something like (using kconqueror as an example)

pacman -S --overwrite kconqueror kconqueror

for each and every package that's part of KDE applications?

nick_0189 · 2021-07-29 03:00:22

The overwrite flag might be one option, but that's not how I think it's used. Use the man program and then look up what a glob is if you need to.

What I normally do in the rare occasion where that happens is identify the files that are in conflict and move them somewhere else. If you look at the files that are in conflict from pacman's output, you may be able to notice that they are all in one place, so you can just back up that directory somewhere else and try installing again. If moving the files caused a lot of problems, you can simply move them back. I think that also aligns with what the wiki section jasonwryan linked for you says if you read it carefully.

PythonLinux · 2021-07-29 03:04:18

Thanks. I'll try tomorrow and report back.

CarbonChauvinist · 2021-07-29 13:14:58

The overwrite flag accepts a glob. The key is to limit the scope of the glob so that you're precisely controlling what you're overwriting.

So for instance instead of simply doing something like this:

$ sudo pacman -Syu --overwrite * plasma kde-applications

which would expand to everything on your filesystem you could target more narrowly, for in your specific case, something like this

$ sudo pacman -Syu --overwrite /usr/* plasma kde-applications

which would only expand to every thing within /usr/, or even something like this

$ sudo pacman -Syu --overwrite /usr/share/*,/usr/bin/*,/usr/lib/* plasma kde-applications

which would only expand to every thing within /usr/share/, /usr/bin/, and /usr/lib/

There are other ways you could potentially address this issue as well, depending on what caused it in the first place, such as db-only install.

But as pointed out by @jasonwryan overwrite is most likely the best way forward.

Additionally, check up on pacman -Qkq and the lostfiles script to make sure all else is as expected on your system.

Last edited by CarbonChauvinist (2021-07-29 13:18:32)

PythonLinux · 2021-07-30 03:03:14

I have solved this. What wound up fixing it was simply running pacman -Rsu kde-applications and then reinstalling. (The arch wiki really does have almost everything doesn't it?)

Now to get the system fully stable.

Edit: Also thanks CarbonChauvinist for explaining how to properly use the --overwrite flag

Last edited by PythonLinux (2021-07-30 13:52:41)

Arch Linux

#1 2021-07-29 01:28:56

[Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#2 2021-07-29 01:34:30

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#3 2021-07-29 02:03:16

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#4 2021-07-29 03:00:22

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#5 2021-07-29 03:04:18

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#6 2021-07-29 13:14:58

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

#7 2021-07-30 03:03:14

Re: [Solved] Issues installing KDE and Plasma via pacman

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