Could not Initialize package information

[pavlovgg]

Greetings.

Today, on Ubuntu 11.04, when attempting to update, this error message appeared in update-manager:



An unresolvable problem occurred while initializing the package information.

Please report this bug against the 'update-manager' package and include the following error message:

'E:Encountered a section with no Package: header, E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/extras.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-i386_Packages, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.


The same appears in Terminal upon sudo apt-get update/upgrade:


E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/extras.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.


Would anyone please suggest what the solution to this issue may be?

[mörgæs]

What exactly did you enter into the terminal? Have you tried booting the machine and running


sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade?

[pavlovgg]

What exactly did you enter into the terminal? Have you tried booting the machine and running


sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade?


Greetings. Thank you for the reply. Here is what I get


georgi@Georgi:~$ sudo apt-get clean
[sudo] password for georgi:
georgi@Georgi:~$ sudo apt-get update
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty InRelease
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty InRelease
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security InRelease
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates InRelease
Get:1 http://extras.ubuntu.com natty Release.gpg [72 B]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed InRelease
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty Release.gpg
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty Release
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security Release.gpg
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates Release.gpg [198 B]
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed Release.gpg [198 B]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty Release
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security Release
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main i386 Packages
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main TranslationIndex
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates Release [27.2 kB]
Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed Release [27.2 kB]
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/restricted Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/multiverse Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/main i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/restricted i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/multiverse i386 Packages
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/multiverse TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/restricted TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe TranslationIndex
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse Sources
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/main i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe i386 Packages
Hit http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse i386 Packages
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe TranslationIndex
Get:6 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:7 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main i386 Packages [73.5 kB]
Get:8 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/multiverse i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:9 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe i386 Packages [26.9 kB]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/multiverse TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/restricted TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe TranslationIndex
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/restricted i386 Packages [14 B]
Get:11 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/main i386 Packages [60.3 kB]
Get:12 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/multiverse i386 Packages [2,217 B]
Get:13 http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/universe i386 Packages [22.0 kB]
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/main TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/multiverse TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/restricted TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/universe TranslationIndex
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/main Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/multiverse Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/restricted Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty/universe Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/main Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/multiverse Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/restricted Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates/universe Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/main Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/main Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/multiverse Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/restricted Translation-en
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com natty-proposed/universe Translation-en
Fetched 240 kB in 5s (44.1 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/extras.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
georgi@Georgi:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/extras.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
georgi@Georgi:~$

[mörgæs]

Try this:


sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf

followed by the three commands above.

[pavlovgg]

Thank you sir. It all seems to be working now.
Thank you.

[mörgæs]

You are welcome. Please mark the thread 'solved'.

[monkeybanana]

I love the forums thank you!

[kiwibunt]

I only needed to run sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf in the terminal to get updates working, thanks heaps

[ajay.cse.nitjsr]

I only needed to run sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf in the terminal to get updates working, thanks heaps

thanks man it worked for me too...... :):popcorn:

[bfb]

Does not work for me...I get
rm: cannot remove `/var/lib/apt/lists/partial': Is a directory

[mörgæs]

What exactly does not work?

[omjaijagdish]

thanks a lot..... it worked 4 me too....:P