Apt-get :: install packages using apt-get after hd install



Hi,

I did a full hard drive install. Then I rebooted DSL from my hard drive. I did Apps->Tools->Upgrade to GNU Utils. Then Apps > Tools > Enable Apt.

I did "sudo restore-dpkg" and modified /etc/apt/sources.list to become "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib" following instructions on http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/wiki/index.php/Apt-get

After doing "apt-get update", I tried to install firefox but got errors about dependencies not going to be upgraded:
Sorry, but the following packages have unmet dependencies:
 firefox: Depends: libcairo2 (>= 1.0.2-2) but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libfontconfig1 (>= 2.3.0) but 2.2.1-3 is to be installed
          Depends: libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.8.0) but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libpango1.0-0 (>= 1.12.1) but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libx11-6 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxcursor1 (> 1.1.2) but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxext6 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxfixes3 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxi6 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxinerama1 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxp6 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxrandr2 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxrender1 but it is not going to be installed
          Depends: libxt6 but it is not going to be installed

Any ideas how to resolve this problem?

Thanks.
Hi, you can get more information about the conflict if you pick one of the libraries that failed to install and try to install it by itself.  For example, since the message tells you that libxt6 failed to install, you could try

apt-get install libxt6

And then keep working your way up the tree of dependencies ... if you get another message about being unable to install that package's dependencies, keep choosing one of those dependencies and try to install it.  Eventually you will work your way up the root of the problem.
Hi,
I am not at my machine right now, but will check out your suggestion later tonight.

I am not sure, but I am guessing that isn't the main problem of all those packages that "it is not going to be installed"? I read that apt-get automatically resolve dependencies, but for these packages they cannot seem to be installed. How do I change some settings so that the packages can be installed?

Thanks once again.
Hi, let me explain more clearly what I meant to say.  When you tried to install firefox, apt told you that libxt6 (among others) could not be installed.  But it did not tell you the reason libxt6 could not be installed.  What I am suggesting is to try

apt-get install libxt6

Its not going to succeed, we already know that, but it will give you some more verbose information about why it cannot be installed.

If libxt6 cannot be installed because some other packages it depends on cannot be installed (this is likely to be the case) then pick one of those packages, try to install it, which again will fail, but you will get more information, and eventually you will work your way backward to a meaningful message, perhaps some package you need is not available on the testing branch, or there is a conflict between a package you need to install versus one that is already installed.

See how it works, you find the root problem by tracing back through the dependencies.

original here.