* Starting PostgreSQL 8.4 database server                                           * Error: could not exec /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl start -D /var/lib/postgresql/8.4/main -l /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-8.4-main.log -s -o  -c config_file="/etc/postgresql/8.4/main/postgresql.conf" :
                                                                             [fail]
invoke-rc.d: initscript postgresql-8.4, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing postgresql-8.4 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of postgresql:
 postgresql depends on postgresql-8.4; however:
  Package postgresql-8.4 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing postgresql (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates it's a follow-up error from a previous failure.
                        Errors were encountered while processing:
 postgresql-8.4
 postgresql
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
A package failed to install.  Trying to recover:
Setting up postgresql-8.4 (8.4.14-0ubuntu10.04) ...
 * Starting PostgreSQL 8.4 database server                                           * Error: could not exec /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl start -D /var/lib/postgresql/8.4/main -l /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-8.4-main.log -s -o  -c config_file="/etc/postgresql/8.4/main/postgresql.conf" :
                                                                             [fail]
invoke-rc.d: initscript postgresql-8.4, action "start" failed.
dpkg: error processing postgresql-8.4 (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of postgresql:
 postgresql depends on postgresql-8.4; however:
  Package postgresql-8.4 is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing postgresql (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 postgresql-8.4
 postgresql
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Reading extended state information
Initialising package states... Done