This warning appears when you remove a package that other packages depend on. While dpkg proceeds with removal, this leaves your system with unmet dependencies that will cause issues when installing or upgrading packages later.
This message occurs when dpkg detects that you are removing a package that is required by one or more other installed packages. The error shows the package name and version being removed (e.g., 'systemd-timesyncd') along with the packages that depend on it. When you see 'removing anyway as you requested,' it means dpkg is honoring your explicit instruction to remove the package despite the dependency conflict, but this creates an inconsistent state in your system.
First, understand which packages have unmet dependencies by running:
sudo apt checkThis will show you any broken dependency relationships. If you need more details, run:
sudo apt install -fThis will attempt to install missing dependencies automatically, which is usually the safest first step.
Run the automatic dependency fixer:
sudo apt install -for
sudo apt --fix-broken installThis will fetch and reinstall any missing packages to restore system consistency. This is the recommended approach as it maintains system integrity.
If there are packages stuck in an unconfigured state, run:
sudo dpkg --configure -aThis configures all pending packages. Then retry the fix-broken-install command.
If the above doesn't work, update your package lists first:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -fThe update ensures you have the latest package information, which may help resolve version-specific dependency issues.
If the missing package cannot be found in repositories, you may need to remove the packages that depend on it:
sudo apt remove package-that-depends-on-missingCheck which packages depend on the missing one with:
apt-cache depends package-nameAfter resolving dependencies, clean up and verify the system is healthy:
sudo apt autoclean
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt checkThe final apt check should return no errors if your system is consistent.
AVOID using --force-depends or --force-remove-reinstreq in the future unless absolutely necessary, as these flags bypass safety checks. If you must force-remove a package, always clean up with apt install -f immediately after. For complex dependency issues, consider using aptitude instead of apt, as it provides better dependency resolution and alternative solution suggestions. On rare occasions when a package exists in a broken state and cannot be fixed, you may need to manually remove package metadata: sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/package-name.* /tmp/ followed by sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq package-name, but only do this as a last resort.
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