Server Fubar'ed - Ideas welcomed

[Michael Hipp]

Michael Hipp wrote:

> The kernel update linux-image-2.6.10-5-386 is in a partially installed 
> (severely inconsistent) state. It won't remove and it won't install 
> without crashing the box. Evidently it crashed originally when 
> installing that update. Coincidence?
> 
> dpkg says to reinstall it. But there's no option for "reinstall", only 
> "install". And that crashes.

Appears the system runs fine if I boot an older kernel from the grub 
menu. That is, until I try to install the newer kernel, then it does 
basically the same thing. So the sum total of the problem now appears to 
be how to get the kernel update installed. When I do 'apt-get upgrade' 
it says:

-----------------------------------------
The following packages will be upgraded:
   linux-image-2.6.10-5-386
1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0B/15.6MB of archives.
After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 19650 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace linux-image-2.6.10-5-386 2.6.10-34.1 (using 
.../linux-image-2.6.10-5-386_2.6.10-34.2_i386.deb) ...
The directory /lib/modules/2.6.10-5-386 still exists. Continuing as 
directed.
Unpacking replacement linux-image-2.6.10-5-386 ...
dpkg: error processing 
/var/cache/apt/archives/linux-image-2.6.10-5-386_2.6.10-34.2_i386.deb 
(--unpack):
  unable to create 
`./lib/modules/2.6.10-5-386/kernel/drivers/usb/gadget/g_ether.ko': 
Unknown error 990
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
  unable to restore backup version of 
`/lib/modules/2.6.10-5-386/kernel/drivers/usb/core/usbcore.ko': 
Input/output error

[SNIP 1861 lines like this]

dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
dpkg: error while cleaning up:
  failed to rmdir/unlink `/var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci': Input/output error
dpkg: failed to open `/var/lib/dpkg/status' for writing status 
information: Input/output error
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (2)
-----------------------------------------

And the system is dead. Google has turned up nothing promising.

Michael