Nokia-N810-50-2:~# apt-get install tetex-base
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
texinfo
Suggested packages:
tetex-extra tetex-bin
Recommended packages:
tetex-doc
The following NEW packages will be installed:
tetex-base texinfo
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 56 not upgraded.
Need to get 12.5MB of archives.
After unpacking 52.2MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
WARNING: The following packages cannot be authenticated!
texinfo tetex-base
Install these packages without verification [y/N]? y
Get:1 http://repository.maemo.org chinook/free texinfo 4.7-2.2 [853kB]
Get:2 http://repository.maemo.org chinook/free tetex-base 2.0.2c+maemo2-8osso3 [11.6MB]
Fetched 12.5MB in 1m14s (168kB/s)
Selecting previously deselected package texinfo.
(Reading database ... 22106 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking texinfo (from .../texinfo_4.7-2.2_armel.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package tetex-base.
Unpacking tetex-base (from .../tetex-base_2.0.2c+maemo2-8osso3_all.deb) ...
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute new pre-installation script: No such file or directory
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/tetex-base_2.0.2c+maemo2-8osso3_all.deb (--unpack):
subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 2
dpkg (subprocess): unable to execute new post-removal script: No such file or directory
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
subprocess post-removal script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/tetex-base_2.0.2c+maemo2-8osso3_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

=============
Nokia-N810-50-2:~# apt-get remove tetex-base
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
tetex-base
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 56 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
dpkg: error processing tetex-base (--remove):
Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
reinstall it before attempting a removal.
Errors were encountered while processing:
tetex-base
localepurge: checking system for new locale ...
localepurge: processing locale files ...
localepurge: Disk space freed in /usr/share/locale: 1031K
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

============

Nokia-N810-50-2:~# dpkg --purge tetex-base
dpkg: error processing tetex-base (--purge):
Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
reinstall it before attempting a removal.
Errors were encountered while processing:
tetex-base

============



Just tried a purge since I can't remember doing it before...it didn't work.

I don't know too much about Debian packaging - do the above errors help at all? Only way I saw fit to get apt back was to edit the database manually.

You can easily replicate it Just: apt-get install tetex-base