Cannot install packages on ubuntu <solved>

Terve!
Due to it’s unique utilities I installed Ubuntu Gnome on my PC on a sperate HDD.
Now, after some time in use I am unable to install any packages, because the command is refused with the line:
“E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install” with no packages (or specify a solution)."
When I type that in, it returns some weird text (with 0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 227 not upgraded towards the start)
Then it says:
“Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/libqtcore4_4%3a4.8.7+dfsg-5ubuntu2_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error core (1)”

I am a noob and have no idea what that means (or what libcore could be).

Is there a way to fix this (with my limited skill) or am I stuck with a full reinstallation?
Thank you in advance
Sayonara!
Shadow

did you run sudo apt update first?

1 Like

Empty the cache and try again.

IIRC it goes something like this:

sudo apt autoclean;
sudo apt -f install;
sudo apt full-upgrade;
1 Like

Terve!
I did not know about this command, so I ran it now. After that I tried to install a package again. It returned the same error code.
Thank you for your suggestion, although I don’t really understand what it does I will periodically run this command in the future.
Sayonara!
Shadow

Terve!
I typed in the three lines that you gave me (without the ; at the end).
The last two returned errors again. Since I just found out that I can copy paste from the command line I will try to put the full text in here with a spoiler thing.
hmm, I didn’t find a spoiler option that actually hides the text (to get around the wall of text) so let me try and make it short.
sudo apt autoclean ran fine, returned a lot of lines that started with “del”.
sudo apt -f install returned the error /var/cache/apt/archives/libqtcore4_4%3a4.8.7+dfsg-5ubuntu2_amd64.deb
And sudo apt full upgrade gave me the same “unmet dependencies” error again.
I will try to google other lines that empty the cache of “apt” (maybe I’ll find something if I’m not completely lost on track).
Thank you for the suggestion.
Sayonara!
Shadow

Edit: after googling the commands I found an additional command to use:
“sudo apt autoremove”
Using that in combination with your three things may have fixed it (I was able to install nethogs).
Thank you a lot for your time.
Sayonara!
Shadow

1 Like

For next time: it’s hidden in the gear-wheel-icon menu and called

Summary

Hide details

1 Like

Thank you

Summary

That really helps, I often talk in a wall of text.

Walls of text are fine. Details are mostly used to hide verbose output

1 Like

You might be right, but when I scroll through forums I am annoyed by big walls of text that I cannot understand (like I said I am a noob).

1 Like