How to fix dpkg: too many errors, stopping in APT

Run the dpkg configuration command to repair the package database. This is the most straightforward solution and should be tried first.

sudo dpkg --configure -a

The -a flag tells dpkg to configure all packages that are currently unpacked but not yet configured. This command repairs the database and resolves most corruption issues.

If the above command doesn't fully resolve the issue, use apt to fix broken dependencies from interrupted installations.

sudo apt install -f

Alternatively, use the longer form:

sudo apt install --fix-broken

This command will complete any partially installed packages and resolve dependency issues.

If the previous steps don't work, lock files may be preventing package operations. Remove them and update the package cache.

sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/lock
sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives/lock
cd /var/lib/dpkg/updates
sudo rm *
sudo apt update

These commands clear lock files that may have been left behind from interrupted operations.

Downloaded packages are cached in /var/cache/apt/archives/. If a cached package is corrupted, remove it.

First, identify packages that might be problematic:

ls -la /var/cache/apt/archives/

Then remove the problematic package (replace package_name with the actual package):

sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives/package_name.deb
sudo apt update

If none of the above methods work, you can manually remove problematic package information files. The /var/lib/dpkg/info directory contains metadata for installed packages.

First, identify files related to a problematic package:

sudo ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/info | grep -i package_name

Then move them to a temporary location (don't delete them immediately, in case you need to restore):

sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/package_name.* /tmp/
sudo apt update

After this, you may need to reinstall the problematic package.