Unable to update or install apps due to config.dat being locked

Support & Help Requests
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#1

Upon using apt-get to install an application, I was presented with:

debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
Setting up sane-utils (1.0.27-1~experimental3ubuntu2.2) ...
debconf: DbDriver "config": /var/cache/debconf/config.dat is locked by another process: Resource temporarily unavailable
dpkg: error processing package sane-utils (--configure):
installed sane-utils package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
sane-utils
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

This is not the first time this has halted work.
I have searched for "work-arounds" and "fixes" before, and found myself neck deep in searches before something finally worked.
It obviously only worked temporarily.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to fix this?

#2

Here are some steps to try.
Run sudo fuser -v /var/cache/debconf/config.dat
If that returns a PID kill that PID then run:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure sane-utils
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get install sane-utils

See if it's installed and working then.

#3

From one issue to another. Any thoughts??

    W: APT had planned for dpkg to do more than it reported back (0 vs 4).
   `Affected packages: sane-utils:amd64`
#4

sudo apt-get install --reinstall sane-utils

What's that give you?

#5

Success!
That's awesome! Thank you!!!!

Setting up sane-utils (1.0.27-1~experimental3ubuntu2.2) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (237-3ubuntu10.29) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.3-2ubuntu0.1) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-21) ...
ureadahead will be reprofiled on next reboot
#6

Glad you got it working!