cant use package manager

I also tried to access the file available but its not able to be openened.I notice theres an old available file there also.

Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications->Accessories->Terminal and type:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure localepurge

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Hope this helps

dpkg-query: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 1:
 field name `
/usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: localepurge is not installed
 when i enter the command this is the result.

For some strange reason the file can't be openend,
I checked my other comp and this file is fine

I think whats happened that a alteration was made to my software sources and the available file was corrupted.
the new available file created is locked therefore my software updates can't be completed.

The question is how can this be fixed?

When I try to install updates or use the package manager i get the error message
dpkg: parse error, in file `/var/lib/dpkg/available' near line 1:
 field name `

suggested solution run dpfg-reconfigure localpurge
when this command is run the origonal message repeats

dpkg

is not the same as dpfg

reinstall dpkg

sudo apt-get

sudo apt-get install

dpkg

configure dpkg

im a noob so im not sure which to use but the terminal will tell you when your succesfull

peace =]

This page may help you: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=389997

Hope this helps

when i run apt-get update the following message appearsE: Could not open lock file /var/lib/apt/lists/lock - open (13 Permission denied)
E: Unable to lock the list directory

Please type:

sudo apt-get update

You must use "sudo"... then give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Thank you

I appreciate your quick response but I'm not entirely new to Linux.
Yes I use sudo for my commands.

Please give the output of:

ls -la /var/lib/apt/lists/lock

mine is:
-rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Mar 24 23:00 /var/lib/apt/lists/lock

Thank you

-rw-r----- 1 root root 0 2008-03-25 00:54 /var/lib/apt/lists/lock

mine appears the same as yours does that help?

can you copy and paste the result of:

ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/available

Thank you

this is the result

ls: /var/lib/dpkg/available: No such file or directory

in fact this file was deleted by an earlier command
ie rm checking the actual folder reveals that the old available is the only one remaining

Why don't you try to restore the old file and try...

cp /var/lib/dpkg/available.old /var/lib/dpkg/available

sorry
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/available.old /var/lib/dpkg/available

Here my ls -l /var/lib/dpkg/

drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 23 23:20 alternatives
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2732018 Mar 24 23:30 available
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2732018 Mar 24 20:55 available-old
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8 Feb 1 2007 cmethopt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3369 Oct 3 22:11 diversions
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3308 Oct 3 22:11 diversions-old
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 405504 Mar 24 20:55 info
-rw-r----- 1 root root 0 Mar 25 00:00 lock
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Feb 1 2007 methods
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 24 2006 parts
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77 Aug 12 2007 statoverride
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 30 Mar 28 2007 statoverride-old
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2522278 Mar 24 20:57 status
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2522433 Mar 24 20:55 status-old
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 24 20:55 triggers
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Mar 24 20:57 updates

Thanks heaps Marcobra seems to be working at the moment

.Yes its done!!!!\\I think I have an underlying problem with my processor.

 Now for my mythtv which is now botched up after the last update.