package adobe-flashplugin 10.0.22.87-1 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 2

Confirmed on Karmic. adobe-flashplugin 10.0.22.87-2jaunty1 package can no longer be removed.

Removing adobe-flashplugin ...
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for iceape-flashplugin.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for iceape-flashplugin.
dpkg: error processing adobe-flashplugin (--purge):
 subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
postinst called with argument `abort-remove'
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 adobe-flashplugin

i also can confirm it happen to me in karmic ..

but is there any temporary fix for it .. since it will affect all the new package i want to install into my desktop...if this bugs not being fix 1st before installing new package ...

This seems to be related to bug #365392. But the fix provided there doesn't help me as there are no *flash* files in /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives.

I tried to hack the flashplugin-installer_10.0.22.87ubuntu2_amd64.deb so that it won't try to update-alternativ those things. Now at least one can install the package and uninstall it afterwards. Once flashplugin-nonfree is installed flash works again. I'll append the hacked 64-bit package, the i386 package can probably hacked the same way.

Oh, first I tried to only alter VARIANTS to VARIANTS="mozilla firefox xulrunner midbrowser xulrunner-addons" - but that did not work...

Ok I also made a package for i386 but could not test it as I'm x64 only. This is not a fix merely a hack to get your system to a usable state again. I don't think it has any side effects. Especially if you reinstall flashplugin-installer again after this package.

I think this is affecting me as well. When I sudo apt-get autoremove, it removes nspluginwrapper, and doesn't remove flashplugin-installer. The process is here - http://pastebin.com/f7bd13916

Then it asks me to sudo apt-get -f install, which gives this - http://pastebin.com/ff5168aa

I think this is the same problem, but not sure. I can leave them installed, but it then complains at me everytime I do anything with apt-get.

I managed to mkdir /var/cache/flashplugin-installer and then it installs it properly

http://pastebin.com/f5e5945c0

This is what fixed me up:
http://forum.ubuntu.cz/index.php/topic,37765.msg277499.html#msg277499
 sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/adobe-flashplugin.prerm
 sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq adobe-flashplugin

Couldn't find any pages in English that had that. - thanks/Dzięki to "arrange", Stálý člen for the post

@Ryan

Thanks! That did the trick!

Here not.
I have already a /var/cache/flashplugin-installer/, and Ryans trick was not working here (Jaunty).
The only way havone adobes flash was Matthias Blaichers package - but with every upgrade it breaks again.
The problem hiere is:
When I call "update-alternatives --config firefox-flashplugin" it also says

 update-alternatives: Fehler oder EOF beim Lesen von /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/firefox-flashplugin für update_mode ()

The file /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/firefox-flashplugin exists, but is empty. I can install gnash, makes no difference.

Thanks Ryan!

a combination of these helped me on karmic

mkdir /var/cache/flashplugin-installer
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/adobe-flashplugin.prerm
sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq adobe-flashplugin

Fabio's fix worked for me. Many thanks.

Fabio Rodriguez thanks, worked for me too.

Fabio thanks!!!! Work on karmic!

I second that !!!

Ryan just wanted to say thanks a million took forever to find this solution :(

confirmed in karmic, x64

Fabio Rodriguez's solution worked for me, except I used flashplugin-installer instead of adobe-flashplugin.

mkdir /var/cache/flashplugin-installer
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/info/flashplugin-installer.prerm
sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq flashplugin-installer

The text of the original problem can be seen below

$ sudo dpkg -r flashplugin-installer
(Reading database ... 351173 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing flashplugin-installer ...
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for iceape-flashplugin.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for iceape-flashplugin.
dpkg: error processing flashplugin-installer (--remove):
 subprocess installed pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
postinst called with argument `abort-remove'
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 flashplugin-installer

hello !!!

this command:
sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq flashplugin-installer

has resolved my error !!!

my error was:
" ...
ProblemType: Package
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Nov 1 23:16:06 2009
Package: adobe-flashplugin 10.0.22.87-1
SourcePackage: adobe-flashplugin
ErrorMessage:
 le sous-processus script pre-removal installé a retourné une erreur de sortie d'état 2

...

E: Le paquet adobe-flashplugin doit être réinstallé, mais il est impossible de trouver son archive.
E: Erreur interne en recalculant le cache des dépendances (1). Veuillez envoyer un rapport d'anomalie.
"

thank's !!!

Thank's Ryan!!!

Creating /var/cache/flashplugin-installer did it my case, thanks YaManicKill!

error 2 was reported when installing or uninstalling flashplugin-nonfree. I run lucid on X64

Thanks Ryan