I had never seen such an issue. I found the following potential solutions on Google (look up "package is in a very bad inconsistent state"). From softest to hardest:
1) Check in /var/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloads/partial/ if there are files that look like they were partially downloaded by ttf- mscorefonts-installer (e.g. fonts). If yes remove them: sudo rm /var/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloads/partial/<file- to-remove> Then reconfigure the package (I'd be surprised if it's enough): sudo dpkg-reconfigure ttf-mscorefonts-installer 2) Correct a broken installation with apt-get: sudo apt-get clean sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade sudo apt-get install --fix-broken Then try removing the half-installed package: sudo apt-get purge ttf-mscorefonts-installer 3) Force the removal of a package even if it's broken and marked to require reinstallation (I think this should fix your problem): sudo dpkg --purge --force-remove-reinstreq ttf-mscorefonts-installer If dpkg complains about dependencies, add the option --force-depends to this command line, and right afterwards run "sudo apt-get install --fix- broken" to fix the dependencies you just broke. You can then normally reinstall the package as explained in comment 3 (don't forget to update apt-transport-https to version 1.2.19 before reinstalling). 4) Brute force everything, these commands have been reported to work in one case: mkdir /tmp/msttcorefonts sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/info/ttf-mscorefonts-installer.* /tmp/msttcorefonts/ sudo dpkg --purge --force-remove-reinstreq ttf-mscorefonts-installer sudo apt-get purge ttf-mscorefonts-installer sudo apt-get autoremove sudo apt-get autoclean If these commands run without error, you can now normally reinstall the package as explained in comment 3 (don't forget to update apt-transport- https to version 1.2.19 before reinstalling). But if you couldn't complete these commands without error, move the dpkg information back: sudo mv /tmp/msttcorefonts/* /var/lib/dpkg/info/ 5) Find and remove the section about ttf-mscorefonts-installer in /var/lib/dpkg/status (you must open it as root, e.g. with "sudo gedit /var/lib/dpkg/status"). Then try reinstalling the package as explained in comment 3 (don't forget to update apt-transport-https to version 1.2.19). Sources: bug 1222654 and http://askubuntu.com/questions/148715 -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1660556 Title: Package ttf-mscorefonts-installer 3.4+nmu1ubuntu2 fails to install/upgrade, is left in half-installed state, and can not be removed/reinstalled To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/msttcorefonts/+bug/1660556/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
