Very Bad Inconsistent State - Help!

[tugger]

Apologies in advance if this is the dumbest query, but I am an almost complete novice at the whole computer game (I use one at work but I just use Windows and MS Word/Excel, so I don't really understand what is going on "behind the scenes" as it were: the purchase of the Raspberry Pi was an attempt to get a better understanding of that).

I have put the bits and pieces together and plugged it in to my TV, and into my router via an ethernet cable. So far, so good. Looking online for what to do next I saw this site:

http://www.neil-black.co.uk/raspberry-p ... ners-guide

I followed the first couple of steps i.e "sudo apt-get update" and "sudo apt-get upgrade". The first one worked OK but on the second I get the following message:

'dpkg: error processing gpgv (--configure):
Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
reinstall it before attempting configuration.
Errors were encountered while processing:
gpgv
E: Sub-process/usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)'

I'm guessing that this isn't very good, but I don't really understand what it means, or what I should be doing about it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[pjc123]

I would re-download the image and re-write the card. However you really should check the integrity of the image you are downloading (check the .zip file, not the uncompressed image). There are SHA-1 checksums on the download page for each Linux distribution, and there are several free programs that will do this check for you.

I am using this one:

http://www.implbits.com/HashTab/HashTabWindows.aspx

As usual, make sure that you are not using any incompatible or troublesome hardware. Especially take note of the link to SD cards at the end of the page:

http://elinux.org/RPi_VerifiedPeripherals

[tugger]

Thanks for this. I don't think I can have been clear enough about how much of an amateur I am though!

As far as I was aware, I wasn't downloading any images - just updating the software I had. Was that not what the instructions I gave to the computer actually said? Also, in terms of hardware, I got the pre-loaded SD card with the Pi, so that cannot be incompatible.

Looks like this IT lark might be harder than I anticipated!

[jamesh]

Thanks for this. I don't think I can have been clear enough about how much of an amateur I am though!

As far as I was aware, I wasn't downloading any images - just updating the software I had. Was that not what the instructions I gave to the computer actually said? Also, in terms of hardware, I got the pre-loaded SD card with the Pi, so that cannot be incompatible.

Looks like this IT lark might be harder than I anticipated!

It's not easy, but its worth sticking with it! (Well, I think it is!)

I guess you did have you PI up and running at first, then tried the upgrade? You don't actually NEED to apply to upgrade if you are up and running OK, all it does is get the very latest version of the operating system - it's a bit better in a number of ways, but not essential at this stage. You shoudl be able to run through various beginner guides without being completely up to date.

Now, I'm not sure what the problem was with the upgrade - it usually runs fine. Does your Raspi still boot up? Either to the command prompt - a text interface, or the desktop - a bit like windows.

James

[tugger]

Thanks James

Yes the Pi worked fine - I had typed "startx" as per the idiot's guide and got to a Windows-style GUI (have been speaking to the IT guys at work so am starting to get the lingo - I think). I wasn't sure what more to do with those and then I tried to apply the upgrade. I haven't tried "startx" since trying the upgrade but the Pi otherwise does boot up and leaves a prompt on the screen, so I think I will do as you suggest and just play around without the upgrade (the Pi was only posted on 16.12.12. so presumably my software won't be too outdated). I will get back on it when I get home.

Thanks for the steer. Unfortunately my knowledge level - at the moment - is such that I failed even to make clear what my problem was, and at what stage I had encountered it. Hopefully this will all change soon.

[pluggy]

The date of shipping has little to do with how recent the images on pre-written SDs are. Some vendors set up to use one the current image at launch and have never bothered changing it.

Pre-written cards are generally considered a waste of time here. There is a dramatic improvement in usability with later images.

Code: Select all

uname -a

Will give you the date and version of the Kernel.

Mine reads :

Code: Select all

Linux raspberrypi 3.2.27+ #250 PREEMPT Thu Oct 18 19:03:02 BST 2012 armv6l GNU/Linux

[pjc123]

Also, in terms of hardware, I got the pre-loaded SD card with the Pi, so that cannot be incompatible.

I have seen a lot crazier things than that. You really can't assume that the image is correct; old image, corrupted image, incompetent supplier, bad SD card etc. Also, upgrading software is usually OK, but newer software, especially firmware, can occasionally break things that used to work; but certainly if the image was wrong or corrupt in the first place, things are going to go bad fast.

The first thing you should do is contact the supplier of your card. They would know if this a common problem or not and whether you need get a replacement to the card; not to mention you will not have to install a new image yourslef. If you want to re-image, all you will need is a card reader, either one in your PC/laptop or an external one, download the image from this web site, and get software to write the image. Choose the latest version of the Raspbian image for the most stable download file.

If you want to try it, you can find easy to read instructions in Issue #2 of the magpi magazine:

http://www.themagpi.com/

Also here:

http://elinux.org/RPi_Easy_SD_Card_Setup

Also on the download page:

http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads

[tugger]

I have a spare SD card so will have a go at this. Am I right in thinking that the term "image" has a broader than normal meaning in the IT world, i.e. "file" rather than "picture"?

Really great and helpful forum though, thanks

[jojopi]

Am I right in thinking that the term "image" has a broader than normal meaning in the IT world, i.e. "file" rather than "picture"?

It is an image in a similar sense as with a camera or a mirror. Not the original scene (or disk) but a virtual replica that duplicates all the details.

[pjc123]

I have a spare SD card so will have a go at this. Am I right in thinking that the term "image" has a broader than normal meaning in the IT world, i.e. "file" rather than "picture"?

Really great and helpful forum though, thanks

Yes, as opposed to backing up just files and folders, an image of a hard disk or in this case an SD card, is a bit by bit copy of everything on the media including hidden information like the Master Boot Record, partition information, etc. As was mentioned, it is an exact mirror of the media, including even empty space that may exist. An image allows you backup and restore a system exactly as it was at a point in time with just one file.