Bug#231565: dselect: gives weird erro while starting to unpack and install pkg's

[Aldo Maggi <turms@ciaoweb.it>]

Package: dselect
Version: 1.10.18
Severity: important



-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux topolino 2.4.24 #1 sab gen 24 07:59:03 CET 2004 i586
Locale: LANG=it_IT@euro, LC_CTYPE=it_IT@euro

Versions of packages dselect depends on:
ii  libc6                     2.3.2.ds1-11   GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libgcc1                   1:3.3.2-4      GCC support library
ii  libncurses5               5.3.20030719-5 Shared libraries for terminal hand
ii  libstdc++5                1:3.3.2-4      The GNU Standard C++ Library v3

-- no debconf information

starting a couple of weeks ago, dselect has begun giving the following
weird error:

.....
Scaricato 1896kB in 1m3s (29,6kB/s)
Preconfiguring packages ...
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg exited unexpectedly
Si sono verificati alcuni errori nella scompattazione.
[snip]
Si prega di  correggerli e di eseguire [I]nstall un'altra volta
Premere invio per continuare.

i press <enter> as suggested and get:

/usr/lib/dpkg/methods/apt/install: line 107:  2360 Killed
$DPKG "$DPKG_OPTS" --configure -a

lo script di installazione ha restituito un codice di errore
100 in uscita.
Premi <invio> per continuare.
		 
<enter>
		 
......
		 
if i run:
		 
dpkg -C

and repeat install from dselect everything is performed regularly
and i do not get any arror
but if i run again dselect and download further pkg's i get again
the above error

the above problem affects dselect only, not apt-get install, nor dpkg -i

i tried to solve the problem doing the following:
debsums (exits without any output)
apt-get install dselect --reinstall
apt-get install dpkg --reinstall

but dselect keeps on giving the same error