Conflicts/Pre-Depends loop (apt difficulties)

[xiao_ka]

Hi,

I am running Debian Etch, 2.4.26-1-386 with an i686 architecture.
(not sure how much of that you need to know)

A while back I started getting the following error message when trying to install packages or even perform an upgrade or dist-upgrade using apt:

E: This installation run will require temporarily removing the essential package e2fsprogs due to a Conflicts/Pre-Depends loop. This is often bad, but if you really want to do it, activate the APT::Force-LoopBreak option.
E: Internal Error, Could not early remove e2fsprogs

I tried activating the APT::Force-LoopBreak, but apt went all doomsday on me and I chickened out and canceled what I was doing. I have been flying debian by the seat of my pants for about a year now, and I hate to admit that I really don't know what I'm doing, I just usually get away with it (i.e. manage to tinker and get solutions even though I am not always sure what I am doing).

I have hunted through various man pages, debian documentation pages, forums etc, and have not gained enough of an understanding to dare to run the Force-LoopBreak option.

Not sure if that has any bearing on the matter, but my sources list is pretty bare-bones:

deb http://security.debian.org/ testing/updates main

deb ftp://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ testing main
deb-src ftp://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ testing main

deb ftp://debian.marked.no/debian/ testing main

Where can I start unravelling this?

[lugoteehalt]

Don't know, but perhaps try doing:
dpkg --audit
Think this will say if there are any broken packages, but don't take my word for it.

Feel a bit guilty about above reply which I assume is smegma. So how about: this (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/history/366925)

It's obvious, but easy to forget, that google.com/linux'ing for the error message is usually productive. :)