Unable to upgrade to latest version

I get the exact same error. Regardless of redownloading the file, verifying the contents of it, dpkg can't install it.

Here is reported too: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hotkey-setup/+bug/88496

 hotkey-setup (0.1-17ubuntu6) feisty; urgency=low
 .
   * Make "/etc/init.d/hotkey-setup stop" *not* fail if keystate cannot
     be restored before stopping (upgrade failure).
     (Closes LP: #88105)

Hello, for anyone who still has this problem, the new packages should fix it by always succeeding.

If you can't get the new package, or are still having an issue wit the upgrade, then if you run:

  sudo /etc/init.d/hotkey-setup stop

and *then* continue with the upgrade, that should work. The problem here is the the prerm (Pre-removal) script for the currently installed version can fail in some corner cases.

Stopping the daemon is the problem:

grendel@wile-e-coyote:/tmp$ sudo dpkg -i hotkey-setup_0.1-17ubuntu6_i386.deb
Password:
Selecting previously deselected package hotkey-setup.
(Reading database ... 222875 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace hotkey-setup 0.1-17ubuntu3 (using hotkey-setup_0.1-17ubuntu6_i386.deb) ...
KDSETKEYCODE: Invalid argument
failed to set scancode 80 to keycode 256
invoke-rc.d: initscript hotkey-setup, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
KDSETKEYCODE: Invalid argument
failed to set scancode 80 to keycode 256
invoke-rc.d: initscript hotkey-setup, action "stop" failed.
dpkg: error processing hotkey-setup_0.1-17ubuntu6_i386.deb (--install):
 subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 hotkey-setup_0.1-17ubuntu6_i386.deb

If I can't get the stop command on the init script to run, I can't get the new version installed. How do I avoid the KDSETKEYCODE error?

Exactly the same problem here, the daemon cannot be stopped manually or by the pre-removal script

SOLVED!

Do a sudo chmod 444 /etc/init.d/hotkey-setup and then reboot. This stops the daemon from starting in the first place, and while the script isn't executable, it will allow you to upgrade the package. Change the permissions on the file back to normal and then reboot again.

@grendelkhan :

this helped, thanks

DON'T REBOOT!:
sudo chmod 444 /etc/init.d/hotkey-setup
then sudo /etc/init.d/hotkey-setup stop

(if you can't open up another gnome-terminal / have closed gnome-terminal & gnome-panel crashed, just switch to tty2:
ctrl + alt + f2, then login and do the above steps)

for restarting / reviving gnome-panel:
killall gnome-panel

then switch back to X:
ctrl + alt + f7

open up a new gnome-panel (alt + f2 -> gnome-panel)
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

now update should continue

Worked for me. I didn't have to reboot, just chmod then continue with the updates. Thanks a bunch! I am running Gutsy Gibbon now!

deleting the file in /var/run/hotkey-setup works fine, without the need to reboot. This is still a problem for feisty -> gutsy upgrades.