Release upgrade with Padoka PPA hosed Ubuntu system - lost desktop & can't reinstall

Started with a perfectly functional upgradable Ubuntu 17.10 install which had been running since 17.10 was released.

Forced an upgrade to 18.04 (had done so on several other similar systems with success - all seemed well) but the upgrade process failed and corrupted the system in some manner such that now I don’t have a desktop package installed and I cannot reinstall it.

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
:~$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 ubuntu-desktop : Depends: gdm3 but it is not going to be installed
                  Depends: gnome-shell but it is not going to be installed
                  Depends: ubuntu-session but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

I’ve tried going through the motions of appending dependencies to the install which boils down to this:

:~$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop gdm3 gnome-shell libmutter-2-0 libegl1 libegl-mesa0 libgbm1
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
libgbm1 is already the newest version (1:17.3~git171020001800.f9d239e~z~padoka0).
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 libegl-mesa0 : Depends: libgbm1 (= 18.0.5-0ubuntu0~18.04.1) but 1:17.3~git171020001800.f9d239e~z~padoka0 is to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

The only clue that I can provide is that I might have had a Padoka PPA installed before doing the release upgrade which if my memory serves, typically hoses installs. Alright… so it is definitely becasue of the Padoka PPA.

sudo apt-cache policy
:~$ sudo apt-cache policy
Package files:
 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     release a=now
 500 http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable/main amd64 Packages
     release v=1.0,o=Google LLC,a=stable,n=stable,l=Google,c=main,b=amd64
     origin dl.google.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/main i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/main amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/universe i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/universe amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/restricted i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=restricted,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/restricted amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=restricted,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/multiverse i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates/multiverse amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-updates,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/main i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=i386
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/main amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=amd64
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/universe i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=i386
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/universe amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=amd64
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/multiverse i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=i386
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security/multiverse amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic-security,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=amd64
     origin security.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/multiverse i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/multiverse amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=multiverse,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/restricted i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=restricted,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/restricted amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=restricted,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=universe,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main i386 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=i386
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com
 500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/main amd64 Packages
     release v=18.04,o=Ubuntu,a=bionic,n=bionic,l=Ubuntu,c=main,b=amd64
     origin us.archive.ubuntu.com

I’ve literally just left this system alone for months hoping maybe miraculously it would recover somehow - no such luck - all servers/services on the system continue functioning but I can’t log in or use the desktop at all.

I also attempted to use tasksel to install ubuntu-desktop - just fails with error 100

I’m desperate to not have to reinstall this system as it’s very difficult to back up.

did you get padoka from github? post a link if possible

This one apparently: https://launchpad.net/~paulo-miguel-dias/+archive/ubuntu/mesa

Solution was a lot simpler than I had imagined.

I just had to re-add the padoka ppa that was active before, do all upgrades/installs necessary (including ubuntu-desktop/ubuntu-gnome-desktop) and then properly purge the ppa.

I feel like an accomplished idiot. :+1:

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Your solution could help someone down the line. Thanks for posting it.

2 Likes