Installing or upgrading applications fails with "subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 2"

[zim]

For a few days now I've been getting this error message when installing or upgrading a package.

subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 2

the only option is to click "OK"

After clicking "OK" generally the package continued installing/upgrading, so annoying but not critical. Today however update moleskin to 0.37b4 presented this behaviour and clicking OK left the package uninstalled. Attempted uninstall/reinstall from Cydia with same results. Tried apt-get clean, apt-get update and then uninstalled/reinstalled cydia itself with apt-get remove cydia, apt-get clean, apt-get update, apt-get install cydia.

No luck.

[ziple]

I got this when I try to install moleskine.

iPhone:~ root# apt-get install com.databinge.moleskine       
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  com.databinge.moleskine
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/518kB of archives.
After unpacking 1843kB of additional disk space will be used.
(Reading database ... 4147 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking com.databinge.moleskine (from .../com.databinge.moleskine_0.37b4_darwin-arm.deb) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: line 6: syntax error near unexpected token `fi'
/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: line 6: `fi'
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/com.databinge.moleskine_0.37b4_darwin-arm.deb (--unpack):
 subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/com.databinge.moleskine_0.37b4_darwin-arm.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
iPhone:~ root# 

Don't know if the error is in Cydia or with the repository, but thought you would like a dump with the error.

[saurik]

This is a bug with the package, which is being automatically generated from the Installer one (I know how that repository is handling its packages). I am poking the guy in charge of this right now, and will close this bug when I know their script is fixed.

[phil24]

Hi! the same error message 'subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 2' occurs with each attempts to install new apps since 4 or 5 days. Appends also with the 2 last essential updates ! Still no solution ?

[chooseagain]

same problem now with every installation or upgrade in Cydia including the last essential updates. it happened for the first time a few days ago, i've seen this message after installing "the band" by moocowmusic

[pac^man]

Replying to chooseagain:

same problem now with every installation or upgrade in Cydia including the last essential updates. it happened for the first time a few days ago, i've seen this message after installing "the band" by moocowmusic

I can confirm that this started happening after installation of the Band application. Reading this post of chooseagain I uninstalled it again, now the error doesn't occur anymore.

[saurik]

This, btw, should be fixed in the latest packages from ModMyiFone? as of yesterday. You may even, after having performed that upgrade, have been able to use the package. I'm actually curious to know if, you install it again, whether the package still doesn't work. If it doesn't, can you get me /tmp/cydia.log?

I haven't closed this bug, though, as I am working on fixing this in a much more deep way. Cydia now detects half-installed and half-configured packages and helps the user get rid of them. I need to put some more testing into this release, but it should be out today as I really did finish it last night ;P.

[phil24]

As 'ModMyiFone?'s source' was already installed, and re-installed this morning, I still got the same error message. After a reboot, and installing small Band instrument (bongo) from ModMyiFone? repo, I still got the same error. Yesterday, I also did an manual refreshing Cydia source (Cydia Manual Refresh v.1.1.2) via Installer.app, but does not help. Here is the Cydia.log

O:Selecting previously deselected package com.ben.bongos.
O:(Reading database ... 4348 files and directories currently installed.)
O:Unpacking com.ben.bongos (from .../com.ben.bongos_1.0_darwin-arm.deb) ...
S:pmstatus:com.ben.bongos:9.09091:Preparing com.ben.bongos
S:pmstatus:com.ben.bongos:18.1818:Unpacking com.ben.bongos
S:pmstatus:com.ben.bongos:27.2727:Preparing to configure com.ben.bongos
O:Setting up com.moocowmusic.band (1.0-1) ...
/var/lib/dpkg/info/com.moocowmusic.band.postinst: line 2: unexpected EOF while looking for matching `''
/var/lib/dpkg/info/com.moocowmusic.band.postinst: line 3: syntax error: unexpected end of file
dpkg: error processing com.moocowmusic.band (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
O:Setting up com.moocowmusic.bandpack1 (1.0) ...
S:pmerror:com.moocowmusic.band:27.2727:subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
/var/lib/dpkg/info/com.moocowmusic.bandpack1.postinst: line 2: unexpected EOF while looking for matching `''
/var/lib/dpkg/info/com.moocowmusic.bandpack1.postinst: line 3: syntax error: unexpected end of file
dpkg: error processing com.moocowmusic.bandpack1 (--configure):
 subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
O:Setting up com.ben.bongos (1.0) ...
S:pmerror:com.moocowmusic.bandpack1:27.2727:subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2
S:pmstatus:com.ben.bongos:36.3636:Configuring com.ben.bongos
O:This is an add-on pack. Please make sure you have also installed the Band application.
O:
S:pmstatus:com.ben.bongos:45.4545:Installed com.ben.bongos
Errors were encountered while processing:
 com.moocowmusic.band
 com.moocowmusic.bandpack1

I've also look into 'general.log' and found some of kernel panics 'crashdump,KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x00000000' but this appends since I jailbreak my iPod and IMO was when apps quitting suddenly.

Thanks a lot for all your work

[phil24]

Last essential Cydia update (1.0.2445-55 as mention in cydia.log) advise to remove bad installed packages. This solved the error mention when installing new packages. Maybe need to check more to be sure the error is gone. Thanks a lot Saurik.