[Techtalk] Urgent Help needed (long post)

[Figaro]

Hello, all.
Debian SID running as SID for 3+ years, used everyday for CAD and tech.
writing so losing this sys. is not an option.
Three known problems:
(1):Cannot upgrade libc6 which prevents glibc, locales and about 300 others.
(2): Subsequent to numerous runs of apt-get -f dist-upgrade, apt-get -f
install, aptitude -f upgrade, aptitude -f dist-upgrade, aptitude -f
install, dpkg --configure -a, aptitude -y --full-resolver install
libc6-i686_2.9-3_i386.deb, apt-get install libc6 -o
DPkg::options::="--force-overwrite", dpkg -i --force-configure-any
libc6_2.9-3_i386.deb,
and anything else one could think to throw at it the long dreaded system
lockup occurred. Upon hard cold boot one was left with a minimal shell
with which to mount the various partitions and issue numerous
/etc/init.d/some_service start commands, which is where we are now.

(3): I am totally confused as to how to proceed to get through the libc6
upgrade problem.
The whole show is stopped by the preinst script which complains about
missing init script for postgresql and xscreensaver. There is an
/etc/init.d/postgresql-8.3 which until recent lockup automatically
started postgresql-8.3 (indeed still does if manually issued). No
xscreensaver init script (never has been one on this sys).
Than we get to the "touch: setting times of `/etc/ld.so.nohwcap':
Invalid argument" , which I think really has no serious meaning.
----------truncated session output-------------------
apogee:/# /etc/init.d/cups start
Starting Common Unix Printing System: cupsd.
invoke-rc.d: ----------------------------------------------------
invoke-rc.d: WARNING: invoke-rc.d called during shutdown sequence
invoke-rc.d: enabling safe mode: initscript policy layer disabled
invoke-rc.d: ----------------------------------------------------
apogee:/# /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.3 start
Starting PostgreSQL 8.3 database server: main.

----------Truncated output: #aptitude -f dist-upgrade (20090304)-------

apogee:/home/beaumarchais# aptitude -f dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done
The following packages are BROKEN:
amarok-engines foomatic-db-engine foomatic-filters-ppds gnome-core hpijs
hpijs-ppds
nautilus-cd-burner openoffice.org-gcj planets python-twisted
The following NEW packages will be installed:
gnutls-bin{a} libass1{a} libcolamd-3.2.0{a} libdca0{a} libgoffice-0-8{a}
libgoffice-0-8-common{a}
libmono-data1.0-cil{a} libmono-data2.0-cil{a} libmono-getoptions1.0-cil{a}
libmono-getoptions2.0-cil{a} libmono-posix1.0-cil{a}
libmono-posix2.0-cil{a} libnm-util1{a}
libopenscenegraph55{a} libopenthreads11{a} libvlc2{a} libvlccore0{a}
mono-2.0-gac{a}
mono-2.0-runtime{a} python-levenshtein{a} vlc-data{a}
The following packages will be REMOVED:
cupsys-driver-gutenprint{a} foomatic-filters{a}
gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mpegdemux{a}
gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mpegmux{a} libopenscenegraph7{a}
libopenthreads7{u} libtsmux0{u}
libx264-65{u} nautilus{a}
The following packages will be upgraded:
adblock-plus antlr at-spi autoconf base-files bash bash-builtins
bash-doc blt blt-demo celestia
celestia-common cinelerra cinelerra-data cinelerra-doc console-data
coreutils cpio cpp-4.3
cups-driver-gutenprint debhelper debian-el debian-maintainers

===========/snip/============================
Extracting templates from packages: 100%
Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 737597 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libc6 2.7-18 (using
.../archives/libc6_2.9-4_i386.deb) ...
Checking for services that may need to be restarted...
Checking init scripts...
WARNING: init script for postgresql not found.
WARNING: init script for xscreensaver not found.
touch: setting times of `/etc/ld.so.nohwcap': Invalid argument
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4_i386.deb
(--unpack):
subprocess pre-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/libc6_2.9-4_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install. Trying to recover:
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of locales-all:
locales-all depends on glibc-2.9-1; however:
Package glibc-2.9-1 is not installed.
dpkg: error processing locales-all (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of libc6-dev:
libc6-dev depends on libc6 (= 2.9-4); however:
Version of libc6 on system is 2.7-18.
dpkg: error processing libc6-dev (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of libc6-amd64:
libc6-amd64 depends on libc6 (= 2.9-4); however:
Version of libc6 on system is 2.7-18.
dpkg: error processing libc6-amd64 (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Setting up gconf2-common (2.24.0-7) ...
cp: preserving times for `/var/lib/ucf/hashfile.7': Bad address
dpkg: error processing gconf2-common (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of locales:
locales depends on glibc-2.9-1; however:
Package glibc-2.9-1 is not installed.
dpkg: error processing locales (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Setting up samba-common (2:3.3.0-3) ...
cp: preserving times for `/var/lib/ucf/hashfile.7': Bad address
dpkg: error processing samba-common (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of smbclient:
----------------------------------
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of gthumb:
gthumb depends on libgconf2-4 (>= 2.23.2); however:
Package libgconf2-4 is not configured yet.
gthumb depends on gthumb-data (= 3:2.10.10-2); however:
Package gthumb-data is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing gthumb (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
locales-all
libc6-dev
libc6-amd64
gconf2-common
locales
samba-common
smbclient
gconf2
swfdec-gnome
gstreamer0.10-plugins-good
libc6-dev-amd64
deborphan
openoffice.org-gnome
libgconf2-4
libgnome2-vfs-perl
gthumb-data
libgconf2-dev
gthumb
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Writing extended state information... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done

apogee:/home/beaumarchais#


---------------------------------------------------------------------

The situation becomes worse everyday as more packages being added to the
upgrade status, but cannot be upgraded.

Is there a way to force the libc6_2.9-3 to install which should then
immediately upgrade to the libc6_2.9.4 version (as it is already in the
package cache but will not install due to the 2.9-3 dep.) which in turn
should allow the libc6-dev, glibc, etc... packages to resolve themselves?
I do not know how to edit the preinst script to remove the xscreensaver
and point the postgresql to the version on the machine.

Help please!!!
Thank you,
matthew