rpm keeps segfaulting

[Hellmasker]

i recently installed XFree 4.3 and it needed a bunch of prereqs, so i isntalle dall those as well, now whenever i go to install something via rpm -ivh <<filename>> it goes thru the preparing bit fine then says segmentaion fault and exits. I have a feeling this is because i installed a thign called rpm-helper and it for some reason is incompatibel with somethign else on my sysetm.

[wassy121]

post the output of:
rpm -q rpm
rpm -q XFree86

and tell us what distribution and version you are using. Why aren't you using a version of your distro with XFree86 4.3.0 on it already?

[Hellmasker]

#rpm -q rpm
rpm-4.0.3-10mdk

#rpm -q XFree86
XFree86-4.3-5mdk

im using madrake 8.2, and im not using mdk9 because a) i dont have a decent connection so i cant dload it, and b) i dont have a spare $100NZ to buy a copy.

[Dolda2000]

Run rpm through gdb and give us a backtrace when it segfaults. If you don't know how, issue these commands (starting with the shell command):
gdb rpm
set args -ihv <<filename>>
run
(rpm starts running, and then it crashes and you are returned to the gdb prompt)
bt
quit
y

The bt command gives you the backtrace.

[Hellmasker]

(gdb) set args -ivh <<filename.rpm>>

(gdb) run
Starting program: /bin/rpm -ivh <<filename>>
warning: shared library handler failed to enable breakpoint
Preparing... ########################################## [100%]

Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentaion fault.
0x081a19bd in ?? ()

(gdb) bt
#0 0x081a19bd in ?? ( )
#1 0x08196ae0 in ?? ( )
#2 0x08176603 in ?? ( )
#3 0x08196c0b in ?? ( )
#4 0x081772c6 in ?? ( )
#5 0x08176603 in ?? ( )
#6 0x081771ab in ?? ( )
#7 0x081685an in ?? ( )
#8 0x08168d0b in ?? ( )
#9 0x0814b363 in ?? ( )
#10 0x0814aec1 in ?? ( )
#11 0x080632e6 in ?? ( )
#12 0x08062280 in ?? ( )
#13 0x0806318e in ?? ( )
#14 0x0807300f in ?? ( )

(gbd) quit

[Dolda2000]

Nah? Have they stripped rpm of symbols? Why would they do that?
Then there's not much to do about that, I guess. Try installing the latest version of RPM from source. The URL to the latest tarball is ftp://ftp.rpm.org/pub/rpm/dist/rpm-4.1.x/rpm-4.1.tar.gz.

[Hellmasker]

isntalling from source... this is always fun... garauntee it wont work first time... it never does for me... thanks anyway

[Hellmasker]

oh this just keeps getting better, when i run copnfigure in the rpm-4.1 dir, it gets to abotu the 8th or 9th line then prints

checking for C compiler default output... configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables

im thinking its time to reinstall..... i really dont want to coz its a pain in the ass but it snot looking recoverable. and i cant just run it as is, bcoz with no JRE = no limewire = no new mp3s