Trouble using command: sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' ')

Question

I type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' ')

ouput:

/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: xserver-xorg is broken or not fully installed

I type:

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg

It seems to work.

I type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' ')

Output:

/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: xserver-common-lts-quantal is broken or not fully installed

I type:

sudo apt-get install xserver-common-lts-quantal

which also seems to work.

I type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' ')

Output:

/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: xserver-xorg is broken or not fully installed

For information on my system, and what I am trying to do, reference: Ubuntu 12.04 touch-pad and keyboard problems asus q500a

Output for: sudo dpkg -l | grep xserver-xorg-video:

ii  xserver-xorg-video-all                    1:7.6+12ubuntu2                             X.Org X server -- output driver metapackage
ii  xserver-xorg-video-ati                    1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2     X.Org X server -- AMD/ATI display driver wrapper
ii  xserver-xorg-video-cirrus                 1:1.3.2-4build1                             X.Org X server -- Cirrus display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-fbdev                  1:0.4.2-4ubuntu2                            X.Org X server -- fbdev display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-intel                  2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4.4                         X.Org X server -- Intel i8xx, i9xx display driver
rc  xserver-xorg-video-intel-lts-quantal      2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2.2~precise1                X.Org X server -- Intel i8xx, i9xx display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-mach64                 6.9.0-1build2                               X.Org X server -- ATI Mach64 display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-mga                    1:1.4.13.dfsg-4build2                       X.Org X server -- MGA display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-neomagic               1:1.2.5-2build2                             X.Org X server -- Neomagic display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-nouveau                1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build3        X.Org X server -- Nouveau display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-openchrome             1:0.2.904+svn1050-1ubuntu0.1                X.Org X server -- VIA display driver
rc  xserver-xorg-video-openchrome-lts-quantal 1:0.3.1-0ubuntu1~precise3                   X.Org X server -- VIA display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-qxl                    0.0.16-2ubuntu0.1                           X.Org X server -- QXL display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-r128                   6.8.1-5build2                               X.Org X server -- ATI r128 display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-radeon                 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2     X.Org X server -- AMD/ATI Radeon display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-s3                     1:0.6.3-4build2                             X.Org X server -- legacy S3 display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-savage                 1:2.3.3-1ubuntu1                            X.Org X server -- Savage display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-siliconmotion          1:1.7.5-1build2                             X.Org X server -- SiliconMotion display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-sis                    1:0.10.3-3build2                            X.Org X server -- SiS display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-sisusb                 1:0.9.4-2build2                             X.Org X server -- SiS USB display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-tdfx                   1:1.4.3-4build2                             X.Org X server -- tdfx display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-trident                1:1.3.4-2build2                             X.Org X server -- Trident display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-vesa                   1:2.3.0-7build2                             X.Org X server -- VESA display driver
ii  xserver-xorg-video-vmware                 1:12.0.1-1ubuntu1.1                         X.Org X server -- VMware display driver
rc  xserver-xorg-video-vmware-lts-quantal     1:12.0.2+git.e5ac80d8-0ubuntu1~precise2     X.Org X server -- VMware display driver

seth@seth-Q500A:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

seth@seth-Q500A:~$ sudo apt-get autoclean:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done

seth@seth-Q500A:~$ sudo apt-get --purge remove:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

seth@seth-Q500A:~$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' '):

/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: xserver-common-lts-quantal is broken or not fully installed

seth@seth-Q500A:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"| grep lts-quantal | tr '\n' ' '):

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Package xserver-common-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
Package xserver-xorg-core-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
Package xserver-xorg-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
Package xserver-xorg-video-intel-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
Package xserver-xorg-video-openchrome-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
Package xserver-xorg-video-vmware-lts-quantal is not installed, so not removed
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Answer 1

You have residual packages that you can remove by following ways:

1. Open Synaptic Package Manager and delete not installed or residual config by following these ways:

   • You'll get a list residual config on left side of the pane.
   • Click it to get all the residual packages on right pane.
   • Select all by Ctrl+A and left-click on any check box and chose Mark for Complete Removal.
   • Click Apply button on the top, when removed close synaptic and proceed to next step.

2. Execute these commands in terminal:

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get autoremove
   sudo apt-get autoclean
   sudo apt-get --purge remove
   

3. Now try to execute your original command that was giving you errors i,e:

   sudo dpkg-reconfigure $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"|tr '\n' ' ')
   

   it should not show any error this time and your all issues should be solved. If still you get some error then continue with 4th step.

4. Execute this command to remove xserver::lts-quantal packages if not already removed:

   sudo apt-get autoremove $(dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}'|grep "^xserver"| grep lts-quantal | tr '\n' ' ')
   

   After successful execution of this command, continue all 3 steps mentioned above.

Main command should execute this time successfully. Reply if something goes wrong..