apt-get & Update Manager 'Problem parsing dependency suggests'

[NEUR0M4NCER]

Binary package hint: apt

apt-get, Synaptic Add/Remove and Update Manager all affected by what seems to be the same problem -

An unresolvable problem occurred while initialising the package information.

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

'E:Problem parsing dependency Suggests, E:Error occurred while processing openoffice.org (NewVersion1), E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_gutsy_main_binary-i386_Packages, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.'

... is what I get when trying to use Update, and apt-get update gives the same response. This bug seems to have been found previously (Bug#115087), but has been un-resolved. Duplicate bugs are also ended with system re-installs or no further input. User 'Wousser' has suggested a couple of fixes for the issue in other reports, but neither have worked for me:-

$ sudo rm /var/cache/apt/*.bin
$ sudo apt-get update
or:
$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
$ sudo apt-get install -f
$ sudo apt-get update

In the previously mentioned Bug Report, 'Michael Vogt' asked for results to these commands:-

$ sudo dpkg --configure -a
seems to work, just asks for p/w and gives no result, new command line.

$ sudo apt-get install -f
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Problem parsing dependency Suggests
E: Error occurred while processing openoffice.org (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_gutsy_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

$ sudo apt-get update
goes through the repos, then:
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Problem parsing dependency Suggests
E: Error occurred while processing openoffice.org (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/gb.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_gutsy_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

Also asked for is a copy of file /var/lib/dpkg/status, which i'll try to figure out how to attach in another post.

Hope you can help

[NEUR0M4NCER (samricketts)]

... also

Found mention somewhere of apt's cache being too small, so I tried to Gedit /etc/apt/apt.conf, but maybe file system's different in Gutsy? CD to /etc/apt, ls gives:

apt.conf.d sources.list~ sources.list.save trusted.gpg~
secring.gpg sources.list.d trustdb.gpg
sources.list sources.list.distUpgrade trusted.gpg

I had a look in apt.config.d directory, but nothing seems to be the right file to edit in there either. Probably barking up the wrong tree, but FYI anyways.

Cheers

[NEUR0M4NCER (samricketts)]

... and just like that, the problem vanished!

Didn't even restart the computer. Guess that's why the other reports were un-resolved. It was annoying for a day, at least. If there's still something that needs fixing let me know what info you need.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

I'll mark it as a duplicate of LP:#115087 as this is the same issue as you reported there.