I fixed my issue using this command:

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite path-to-the-deb-file

• If --force-overwrite doesn't work, try:

  sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite-all path-to-the-deb-file

In your case:

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/scala_2.9.2-400_all.deb

It seems like removing the scala-library package and then reconfiguring might work. So you're on the right track. The correct commands are, in this order:

sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get install -f

Your autoremove command did not succeed because you did not run it as root (using sudo).

the following command worked.

sudo rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/updates/*
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
sudo rm /var/cache/apt/*.bin
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get update
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install -f

if still getting same error then try

sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq package_name 

after removing package update your system and restart once.

In my case this worked:

sudo dpkg -P package_name 

(not deb name)

The easy way to open synaptic. It will states you that a broken packages are found so you have to locate the broken packages and just remove then you can do whatever you like.

The following worked for me (although I'm on x86):

$ sudo vim /var/lib/apt/lists/apt.typesafe.com_dists_unicorn_main_binary-i386_Packages

Change the line reading

Filename: pool/main/s/scala/scala_     2.9.2-400_all.deb

to:

Filename: pool/main/s/scala/scala_%20%20%20%20%202.9.2-400_all.deb

Followed by:

sudo apt-get remove scala-library
sudo apt-get remove scala
sudo apt-get install scala

In my case I couldn't update the system because of the following error when trying sudo apt-get install -f:

update-alternatives: error: /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/package_name broken: invalid status

A remedy was to remove the file from /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives and repeat the above command. I ran it a few times until all the invalid packages were fixed.

In my case it prevented me from configuring Java properly.

i had this problem once, for some reaspon i think it was a skype package

actually i recall i had it twice, once when the skype package only was broken in this case if its only a few 1.open software updater, and wait for it to load 2. click settings 3. click other software tab These are all your packages, look at your console output, use the last few lines to locate which package it is and remove it, or do it one by one until you no longer get the error

If it was like i had once, all packages were unable to be reieved correctly same as above, but click the Ubuntu Software tab

check only the first and third box Select main server from the dropdown, click close sudo apt-get update