update manager asks for erroe report

[David Holdsworth]

Could not initialise the package information

An unresolvable problem occurred while initialising the package information.

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

'E:Problem parsing dependency Replaces, E:Error occurred while processing ppp (NewVersion1), E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.'
----------------------------------------
I got the above after I did the following:

I ran update manager, and got an error, which told me to repeat with apt-get, which gave an error (see below) and when I clicked the red circle in the top panel, I got the error above. So I am hoping that this is the right way to report it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
root@vaio:/home/ecldh/cycling# apt-get update
Get: 1 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security Release.gpg [198B]
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main Translation-en_GB
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/universe Translation-en_GB
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/multiverse Translation-en_GB
Hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid Release.gpg
Ign http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ lucid/partner Translation-en_GB
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid Release.gpg
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main Translation-en_GB
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/universe Translation-en_GB
Get: 2 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security Release [57.3kB]
Hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid Release
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/multiverse Translation-en_GB
Get: 3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates Release.gpg [198B]
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/main Translation-en_GB
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/universe Translation-en_GB
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/multiverse Translation-en_GB
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid Release
Get: 4 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates Release [58.3kB]
Hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid/partner Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/main Sources
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/universe Sources
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse Packages
Hit http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid/multiverse Sources
Get: 5 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main Packages [500kB]
Get: 6 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main Packages [701kB]
Get: 7 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/main Sources [238kB]
Get: 8 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe Packages [147kB]
Get: 9 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/universe Sources [46.7kB]
Get: 10 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse Packages [5,366B]
Get: 11 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security/multiverse Sources [2,347B]
Get: 12 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/main Sources [332kB]
Get: 13 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe Packages [295kB]
Get: 14 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/universe Sources [110kB]
Get: 15 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse Packages [11.5kB]
Get: 16 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com lucid-updates/multiverse Sources [5,817B]
Fetched 2,511kB in 5s (445kB/s)
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Problem parsing dependency Replaces
E: Error occurred while processing ppp (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
root@vaio:/home/ecldh/cycling# which ppp
root@vaio:/home/ecldh/cycling# exit
exit

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1202217/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

[This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

The status file is corrupt in some way. Try using the old one:

cd /var/lib/dpkg
sudo mv status status-bad
sudo cp status-old status
sudo apt-get update

Probably a duplicate of: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/346386

[David Holdsworth (ecldh)]

I did try to specify the package, but it will not accept apt-get or
ia32-apt-get.

Also, advice from Daniel Letzeisen to go back to old status, appears
to have fixed my problem. It looks lke I reported th big in the wrong
place, but the update manager did ask me to report it.
--
David H
http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecldh

----- Message from <email address hidden> ---------
     Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:27:55 -0000
     From: Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot <email address hidden>
Reply-To: Bug 1202217 <email address hidden>
  Subject: [Bug 1202217] Re: update manager asks for erroe report
       To: <email address hidden>

> Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make
> Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a
> specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu
> in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source
> packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs
> about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your
> bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage.
> You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.
>
> To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1202217/+editstatus and add the
> package name in the text box next to the word Package.
>
> [This is an automated message. I apologize if it reached you
> inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]
>
> ** Tags added: bot-comment
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1202217
>
> Title:
> update manager asks for erroe report
>
> Status in Ubuntu:
> New
>
> Bug description:
> Could not initialise the package information
>
> An unresolvable problem occurred while initialising the package
> information.
>
> Please report this bug for the 'update-manager' package and try to
> include the following error message:
>
> 'E:Problem parsing dependency Replaces, E:Error occurred while
> processing ppp (NewVersion1), E:Problem with MergeList
> /var/lib/dpkg/status, E:The package lists or status file could not
> be parsed or opened.'
> ----------------------------------------
> I got the above after I did the following:
>
> I ran update manager, and got an error, which told me to repeat
> with apt-get, which gave an error (see below) and when I clicked the
> red circle in the top panel, I got the error above. So I am hoping
> that this is the right way to report it.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> root@vaio:/home/ecldh/cycling# apt-get update
> Get: 1 http://security.ubuntu.com lucid-security Release.gpg [198B]
> Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main
> Translation-en_GB
> Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/universe
> Translation-en_GB
> Ign http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/multiverse
> Translation-en_GB
> Hit http://archive.canonical.com lucid Release.gpg
> Ign http://archi...

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

@David: No worries, as long as it's fixed. I'll mark it duplicate.