How to prevent updating of a specific package?

Question

Because of bug #693758 I'd like to prevent apt-get upgrade and Update Manager from updating the "libgtk2.0-0" package.

How can this be achieved?

Answer 1

Now go to Synaptic Package Manager (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager)

Click search button and type package name.

When you find package select it and go to Package (in menu) and click Lock Version.

and you are done, now that package will not show in update manager and it will not be updated.

There are four ways of holding back packages, with dpkg, apt, aptitude or with dselect.

Using dpkg

Put a package on hold

echo "package hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

Remove the hold

echo "package install" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

Displaying the status of your packages

dpkg --get-selections

Displaying the status of a single package

dpkg --get-selections | grep "package"

Using apt

you can hold a package using

sudo apt-mark hold package_name

and remove the hold with

sudo apt-mark unhold package_name

Using aptitude

you can hold a package using

sudo aptitude hold package_name

and remove the hold with

sudo aptitude unhold package_name

Using dselect

With dselect, you just have to enter the [S]elect screen, find the package you wish to hold in its present state, and press = or H. The changes will go live immediately after you exit the [S]elect screen.

Answer 2

I am even older school =)

To put a package "foo" on hold echo “foo hold” | dpkg --set-selections In your case we are going to put wine on hold:

sudo -i
echo “wine hold” | dpkg --set-selections

To remove hold

sudo -i
echo “wine install” | dpkg --set-selections

Answer 3

Install synaptic using sudo apt-get install synaptic.

Run using gksudo synaptic and on the search box locate the package you want to lock, ie: gedit

From the package menu select Lock version:

And that is all, the version currently installed at the time of the lock will stay installed even during upgrades.

Answer 4

Preventing a package from being installed is called "package holding" and it is very simple to do:

echo package_name hold | dpkg --set-selections

...where *package_name* is the name of the package you want to prevent from installation.

Note: the above command assumes root privileges. In other words, you will probably need to type sudo su before running it.

Answer 5

I synaptic you can freeze the version of a specific package I'm not a 100% sure as to whether this will amend apt-get but it will definately stop update manager.

To freeze a package select it in synaptic then open the package menu and select freeze version.

Hope this helps

edit: This question 16668 deals with a similar situation

Answer 6

Everything you ever wanted to know about "holding" and "pinning" packages to specific versions: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PinningHowto

Answer 7

If you have Synaptic installed you can select the package and use the menu Package -> Lock Version to prevent it being updated.

You can install Synaptic with sudo apt-get install synaptic. I personally find it more useful than the Software Center... then again, I'm fairly old school. :)

Answer 8

After reading https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/aptitude/+bug/75332 (see also bug 158981 -- I cannot post 3 links) and https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/update-notifier/+bug/72806

the summary is that hold at apt-get / aptitude level is not triggering hold status in dpkg (see bug 72806 especially) and update-manager reads status from dpkg.

workaround is run as root echo "package hold" | dpkg --set-selections