Error while installing or configuring packages: cannot stat '/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-45-generic'

Question

I have ubuntu 16.04 64b and I have some errors when I try to install a package or using sudo dpkg --configure -a

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 126 not upgraded.
3 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.`

... 

Setting up linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic (4.4.0-45.66) ...
cp: cannot stat '/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-45-generic': No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing package linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-signed-image-generic:
 linux-signed-image-generic depends on linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic; however:
  Package linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package linux-signed-image-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of linux-signed-generic:
 linux-signed-generic depends on linux-signed-image-generic (= 4.4.0.45.48); however:
  Package linux-signed-image-generic is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing package linux-signed-generic (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.                                                                                                          No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
            Setting up liboctomap1.6v5 (1.6.8+dfsg-2.1) ...
Setting up octomap-tools (1.6.8+dfsg-2.1) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.23-0ubuntu3) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic
 linux-signed-image-generic
 linux-signed-generic 

I have tried:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get autoremove

and I get same errors.

Dpkg list is:

sudo dpkg --list 'linux-image*'
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                                         Version                     Architecture                Description
+++-============================================-===========================-===========================-=============================================================================================
un  linux-image                                  <none>                      <none>                      (no description available)
rc  linux-image-4.4.0-31-generic                 4.4.0-31.50                 amd64                       Linux kernel image for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-4.4.0-42-generic                 4.4.0-42.62                 amd64                       Linux kernel image for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-4.4.0-45-generic                 4.4.0-45.66                 amd64                       Linux kernel image for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-extra-4.4.0-31-generic           4.4.0-31.50                 amd64                       Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-4.4.0-42-generic           4.4.0-42.62                 amd64                       Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-4.4.0-45-generic           4.4.0-45.66                 amd64                       Linux kernel extra modules for version 4.4.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-generic                          4.4.0.45.48                 amd64                       Generic Linux kernel image

iF linux-signed-i 4.4.0-45.66 amd64 Signed kernel image generic iU linux-signed-i 4.4.0.45.48 amd64 Signed Generic Linux kernel image

dpkg -s linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic Package: linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic Status: install ok half-configured Priority: optional Section: utils Installed-Size: 21 Maintainer: Canonical Kernel Team <[email protected]> Architecture: amd64 Source: linux-signed Version: 4.4.0-45.66 Depends: sbsigntool, linux-image-4.4.0-45-generic (= 4.4.0-45.66) Description: Signed kernel image generic A kernel image for generic. This version of it is signed with Canonical's UEFI signing key. Built-Using: linux (= 4.4.0-45.66)

I have tried to reinstall the packagebut I get same error:

sudo apt-get -f install linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic ... Setting up linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic (4.4.0-45.66) ... cp: cannot stat '/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-45-generic': No such file or directory dpkg: error processing package linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic (--configure): ...

So I have a problem in linux-signed-image-4.4.0-45-generic which is half-configured because there is no /boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-45-generic file. I guess it happen after I fixed a UEFI boot problem by using boot-repair. How can I solve it? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Short version of answer;
Boot a selected kernel that you KNOW have been running well, then check the output of

$ uname -a

Make sure to keep that version of the kernel (linux-image... above) and do

$ sudo apt-get purge ...

... on the packages that list OTHER version numbers, including the 4.4.0-45 version (I'm assuming it cannot be run/booted).

When you have purged the unused ones, you should be able to re-install 4.4.0-45, boot it and the optionally remove the previously used one.

I'd recommend to keep at least one version other than the latest, (that you know does work) for safety/backup/repair...

Why?
My guess is that you have run out of space on /boot ... or possibly somewhere else - the above should free up some space in relevant places, regardless of where the problem is.