apt-get update fails forever for corrupted /var/lib/apt/lists/foo_Packages

[Jefff]

If a lists/ file is corrupted, a apt-get update will not fix it unless the if-modified-since information on the server changes. This means that the system will be with this error until its cleaned up by hand.

E:Problem parsing dependency Depends, E:Error occurred while processing evolution-plugins (NewVersion1), E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/us.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_gutsy-updates_main_binary-i386_Packages, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

Instead apt should do something sensible like moving the file aside.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Thanks for your bugreport.

Could you please open a terminal and run:
$ sudo apt-get update
and see if that fixes the issue?

If not, could you please try to remove the files in /var/lib/apt/lists/ for the us.archive.ubuntu.com system and try again? It might be a corrupted download.
Run:
$ sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/us*
$ sudo apt-get update

[Jefff (jpfink)]

Michael,

Thanks. The second approach worked.
System responses in blue.

I think this may be useful to post. It may help others in this situation.

Thanks again,
Jeff

----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Vogt <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2008 7:04:08 AM
Subject: [Bug 226361] Re: Could not initialize the package information

Thanks for your bugreport.

Could you please open a terminal and run:
$ sudo apt-get update
and see if that fixes the issue?
Get:13 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/multiverse Packages [9936B]
Hit http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/universe Packages
Hit http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/main Sources
Get:14 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/restricted Sources [937B]
Fetched 234kB in 60s (3871B/s)
Reading package lists... Error!
E: Problem parsing dependency Depends
E: Error occurred while processing evolution-plugins (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/us.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_gutsy-updates_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

If not, could you please try to remove the files in /var/lib/apt/lists/ for the us.archive.ubuntu.com system and try again? It might be a corrupted download.
Run:
$ sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/us*
$ sudo apt-get update
Get:9 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy/restricted Sources [2120B]
Get:10 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy/universe Packages [4065kB]
Get:11 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy/universe Sources [1226kB]
Get:12 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy/multiverse Packages [158kB]
Get:13 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy/multiverse Sources [56.8kB]
Get:14 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/main Packages [260kB]
Get:15 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/restricted Packages [4263B]
Get:16 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/multiverse Packages [9936B]
Get:17 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/universe Packages [83.0kB]
Get:18 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/main Sources [71.8kB]
Get:19 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com gutsy-updates/restricted Sources [937B]
Fetched 7451kB in 1m42s (72.8kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done

** Changed in: update-manager (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Incomplete

--
Could not initialize the package information
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/226361
You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
of the bug.

[Michael Vogt (mvo)]

Thanks for confirming that it works now.

I reassign this as a feature request against apt. It should do something more sensible in a situation like this (like move the file aside).

[ResidualBit (residualbit)]

'E:Encountered a section with no Package: header, E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/security.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty-security_main_i18n_Translation-en, E:The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.'

Deleting the files seems to have worked for the main sources, but doesn't take care of third party, medibuntu, chrome etc.

apt-get update gets the main sources, but still fails with the same error do to the others.

$ sudo apt-get update
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty InRelease
Hit http://packages.medibuntu.org natty InRelease
Ign http://archive.canonical.com natty InRelease
Ign http://dl.google.com stable InRelease
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security InRelease
Get:1 http://dl.google.com stable Release.gpg [197 B]
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com natty InRelease
Ign http://us.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates InRelease
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty Release.gpg
Hit http://archive.canonical.com natty Release.gpg
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security Release.gpg
Get:2 http://dl.google.com stable Release [1,347 B]
Get:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com natty Release.gpg [198 B]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty Release
Hit http://archive.canonical.com natty Release
Hit http://packages.medibuntu.org natty/free amd64 Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security Release
Get:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com natty-updates Release.gpg [198 B]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main Sources
Hit http://archive.canonical.com natty/partner Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main Sources
Get:5 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com natty Release [39.8 kB]
Hit http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main amd64 Packages
Ign http://extras.ubuntu.com natty/main TranslationIndex
Hit http://packages.medibuntu.org natty/non-free amd64 Packages
Hit http://archive.canonical.com natty/partner amd64 Packages
Ign http://archive.canonical.com natty/partner TranslationIndex
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse Sources
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/main amd64 Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/restricted amd64 Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/universe amd64 Packages
Hit http://security.ubuntu.com natty-security/multiverse amd64 Packages
Ign http://security.ubuntu.com natty-sec...

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

This is a duplicate of 346386. We can't do anything for installations that are broken already, but we now try to prevent those situations.