marc wrote:

What do you use to install it?

What repositories do you have enabled?

What's the message that tells you to uninstall gnome?

Regards

Software Sources:
http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze-updates main
http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze-updates main (Source Code)
http://debian-multimedia.fx-services.com/ stable main
http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ squeeze-updates main contrib non-free

Here is a print out from my terminal:

timothy@TheBatComputer:/$ su

Password: 

root@TheBatComputer:/# apt-get install ffmpeg

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree       

Reading state information... Done

The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:

  libwpd8c2a libreoffice-gnome gtk2-engines-smooth tomboy

  libmono-security2.0-cil libgsf-1-common update-notifier-common

  libndesk-dbus1.0-cil libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil pnm2ppa libaiksaurus-1.2-data

  libhal-storage1 libmono-system2.0-cil update-notifier

  link-grammar-dictionaries-en gdebi libots0 libgnomepanel2.24-cil

  libmono-corlib2.0-cil cli-common bsh-gcj libmono-cairo2.0-cil libgexiv2-0

  libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil gnome-themes-extras evolution-exchange

  abiword-common transmission-gtk libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil

  update-manager-gnome libwps-0.1-1 gdebi-core libgoffice-0.8-8-common

  software-center libmono-posix2.0-cil mono-runtime librasqal2

  libmono-addins0.2-cil libgnome2.24-cil transmission-common

  gnome-codec-install shotwell libhsqldb-java-gcj update-manager-core

  libgoffice-0.8-8 libreoffice-gtk simple-scan python-aptdaemon

  liblink-grammar4 libpango1.0-common libgee2 bsh epiphany-extensions

  binfmt-support libwv-1.2-3 libgnome-vfs2.0-cil libgdome2-0 mono-gac

  python-vte libmatroska0 libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libglade2.0-cil

  libgsf-1-114 lm-sensors libart2.0-cil aptdaemon libglib2.0-cil mono-2.0-gac

  libgtkmathview0c2a libgconf2.0-cil python-aptdaemon-gtk fancontrol

  libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil gedit-plugins liferea gnome-themes-more

  foomatic-filters-ppds foomatic-db libeggdbus-1-0 libraptor1 liferea-data

  libwpg-0.1-1 libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libabiword-2.8 libgtk2.0-cil

  libloudmouth1-0 totem-mozilla min12xxw openoffice.org-gnome

  rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder libebml0 libgmime2.4-cil libxcb-render-util0

  libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a

Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.

The following extra packages will be installed:

  libavcodec52 libavcore0 libavdevice52 libavfilter1 libavformat52 libavutil50

  libfaac0 libmp3lame0 libpostproc51 libswscale0 libx264-112 libxvidcore4

Suggested packages:

  nvidia-libvdpau1

The following packages will be REMOVED:

  gnome gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg

The following NEW packages will be installed:

  ffmpeg libavcore0 libavdevice52 libavfilter1 libfaac0 libmp3lame0

  libx264-112 libxvidcore4

The following packages will be upgraded:

  libavcodec52 libavformat52 libavutil50 libpostproc51 libswscale0

5 upgraded, 8 newly installed, 2 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Need to get 4,774 kB of archives.

After this operation, 4,534 kB of additional disk space will be used.

Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

#hell no

abort. 

Section that says to uninstall gnome:

The following packages will be REMOVED:

  gnome gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg

atreyu wrote:

Marc,

FYI, I get the problem when I am trying to install a package that is not in my mainline "approved" repo, but is some other repo that i've temporarily enabled to install some specific thing. That repo may have different opinions about package versions that it needs, etc.. and it is far easier to do the *wrong* thing and install it from scratch. I have not created any additional problems for myself doing just that.

Good point; I removed the repos from Wheezy and Sid, as I thought those may have caused the problem. This is still a most perplexing issue.

marc wrote:
Trust me: installing programs from source, sooner or later, will give you headaches.[/quote]

I concur; I used to have so many problems when I exclusively compiled from source. Now, I only undertake it when it is the only feasible option available.

In regards to Goineasy9's suggestion of simulating a removal of Gnome, I have tested the following in terminal:

root@TheBatComputer:/# apt-get -s remove gnome

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree       

Reading state information... Done

The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:

  libwpd8c2a libreoffice-gnome gtk2-engines-smooth tomboy

  libmono-security2.0-cil libgsf-1-common update-notifier-common

  libndesk-dbus1.0-cil libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil pnm2ppa libaiksaurus-1.2-data

  libhal-storage1 libmono-system2.0-cil update-notifier

  link-grammar-dictionaries-en gdebi libots0 libgnomepanel2.24-cil

  libmono-corlib2.0-cil cli-common bsh-gcj libmono-cairo2.0-cil libgexiv2-0

  libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil gnome-themes-extras evolution-exchange

  abiword-common transmission-gtk libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil

  update-manager-gnome libwps-0.1-1 gdebi-core libgoffice-0.8-8-common

  software-center libmono-posix2.0-cil mono-runtime librasqal2

  libmono-addins0.2-cil libgnome2.24-cil transmission-common

  gnome-codec-install shotwell libhsqldb-java-gcj update-manager-core

  libgoffice-0.8-8 libreoffice-gtk simple-scan python-aptdaemon

  liblink-grammar4 libpango1.0-common libgee2 bsh epiphany-extensions

  binfmt-support libwv-1.2-3 libgnome-vfs2.0-cil libgdome2-0 mono-gac

  python-vte libmatroska0 libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libglade2.0-cil

  libgsf-1-114 lm-sensors libart2.0-cil aptdaemon libglib2.0-cil mono-2.0-gac

  libgtkmathview0c2a libgconf2.0-cil python-aptdaemon-gtk fancontrol

  libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil gedit-plugins liferea gnome-themes-more

  foomatic-filters-ppds foomatic-db libeggdbus-1-0 libraptor1 liferea-data

  libwpg-0.1-1 libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libabiword-2.8 libgtk2.0-cil

  libloudmouth1-0 totem-mozilla min12xxw openoffice.org-gnome

  rhythmbox-plugin-cdrecorder libebml0 libgmime2.4-cil libxcb-render-util0

  libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a

Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.

The following packages will be REMOVED:

  gnome

0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 5 not upgraded.

Remv gnome [1:2.30+7]

root@TheBatComputer:/# 

It did not state anything about removing the gnome-desktop-environment, which would cause a massive amount of failure on an epic level. I am going to create a virtual matryoshka version of Debian within Debian and remove gnome. I will report back my findings ASAP.