Ubuntu
software-center package

Updating and software center doesn't work

Asked by Bjarke Reimann on 2011-06-01

Hello. I am currently running Ubuntu on two different computers - one running 10.10 and one 11.04. But i am constantly encountering an error on the 11.04. The update manager gives an error message saying: "Could not initialize the package information" (my language is Danish, so i am translating it. There isn't a support for Danish). "There occured an error under the initialization of the package information, which couldn't be solved". "Please report this error the the "update-manager"-package, and include following error message:

'E:Encountered a section with no Package: header, E:Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/dk.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_natty_main_binary-i386_Packages, E:Pakkelisterne eller statusfilen kunne ikke tolkes eller åbnes.'

"Pakkelisterne eller statusfilen kunne ikke tolkes eller åbnes." means something like: the package lists eller the status file could not be interpreted or opened.

This error does not occur on the computer running an older version. It happened not very long after i installed Ubuntu on it. I have tried to reinstall the system, erasing everything, but it occured almost immediatly afterwards. The software center has also stopped working - it worked before the error, but now, when i try to search for something, or go to a category, nothing happens. There is the searching icon, and it just tells 35834 files.

So how can i get the update manager to function again. And how do i get the software center working?

Question information

Language:: English Edit question

Status:: Answered

For:: Ubuntu software-center Edit question

Assignee:: No assignee Edit question

Last query:: 2011-06-01

Last reply:: 2011-06-01

Link existing bug

Revision history for this message

actionparsnip (andrew-woodhead666) said on 2011-06-01:

sudo cp -arf /var/lib/dpkg /var/lib/dpkg.backup
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/available-old /var/lib/dpkg/available
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/dpkg/updates/*
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists
sudo mkdir /var/lib/apt/lists/partial
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoclean
sudo apt-get update
sudo dpkg --clear-avail
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install -f
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade