update-manager

To get better help. You may want to provide a more exhaustive explanation of your problem.

Thank you

<Could not initialise the package information.
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened>
I followed indications for similar case on forum i,e. modified source list(taken off line 39),but it did not wok
Grazie,Marco

Please help,
I hoped that the upgrade will fix the problem but I can not upgrade trough the network to 8.10 because update manager can't be opened

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:
(when the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter)

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove

Please report, copy and paste errors here...

Thank you

W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_GB (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_binary-i386_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_GB (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB)
E: Problem parsing dependency Depends
E: Error occurred while processing btnx (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/repoubuntusoftware.info_dists_harty_all_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
user@user-desktop:~$

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Please copy the contents of the file here...

Thank you

user@user-desktop:~$ W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_binary-i386_Packages)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
user@user-desktop:~$ W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_GB (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
user@user-desktop:~$ W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_binary-i386_Packages)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
user@user-desktop:~$ W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Translation-en_GB (/var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_hardy_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
user@user-desktop:~$ E: Problem parsing dependency Depends
bash: E:: command not found
user@user-desktop:~$ E: Error occurred while processing btnx (NewVersion1)
bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('
user@user-desktop:~$ E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/repoubuntusoftware.info_dists_harty_all_binary-i386_Packages
bash: E:: command not found
user@user-desktop:~$ E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.
bash: E:: command not found
user@user-desktop:~$ user@user-desktop:~$
bash: user@user-desktop:~$: command not found
user@user-desktop:~$
user@user-desktop:~$

Grazie,Marco

Please provide the contents of of your sources.list file. Follow marcobras instructions in the previous post and copy/paste its contents so we may help.

Thanks

 See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to
# newer versions of the distribution.

deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy restricted main multiverse universe #Added by software-properties

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted #Added by software-properties

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## universe WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu security
## team.
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the 'backports'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
# deb http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ feisty-backports main restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://it.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ feisty-backports main restricted universe multiverse

deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security restricted main multiverse universe #Added by software-properties
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security universe

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-proposed restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-backports restricted main multiverse universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates restricted main multiverse universe #Added by software-properties

#AUTOMATIX REPOS START

# deb http://www.getautomatix.com/apt gutsy main

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-security main restricted universe multiverse

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy main restricted universe multiverse
#AUTOMATIX REPOS END
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main

#ULTAMATIX REPOS START

deb http://repoubuntusoftware.info harty all

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-updates multiverse

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-updates multiverse

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy multiverse

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy multiverse

deb http://repoubuntusoftware.info harty all

deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-security multiverse

deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-security universe

deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu hardy-security main restricted

deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner
#ULTAMATIX REPOS END

Back to square one:
I can not upgrade to 8.10 because Uodate Manager says <Could not initialise the package information.
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened>

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

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

select all content and delete it, then and add (copy and paste) the rows below (then read my next answer):

deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted

deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy universe
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy multiverse

deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security main restricted
deb-src http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://ubuntu.fastbull.org/ubuntu/ hardy-security universe

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-proposed restricted main multiverse universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-backports restricted main multiverse universe
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates restricted main multiverse universe

incredibile ma vero:
knock on wood, it works. Update- and synaptic manager respond, no errors, no brocken packages.
Along the cleaning process I got following message
<Vulnerable host keys will be regenerated ↑
 │ ▮
 │ Some of the OpenSSH server host keys on ▒
 │ this system were generated with a version ▒
 │ of OpenSSL that had a broken random ▒
 │ number generator. As a result, these host ▒
 │ keys are from a well-known set, are ▒
 │ subject to brute-force attacks, and must ▒
 │ be regenerated. ▒
 │ ▒
 │ Users of this system should be informed ▒
 │ of this change, as they will be prompted ▒
 │ about the host key change the next time ▒
 │ they log in. Use 'ssh-keygen -l -f ↓
 │
 │ <Ok>
 about the host key change the next time ↑
 │ they log in. Use 'ssh-keygen -l -f ▒
 │ HOST_KEY_FILE' after the upgrade has ▒
 │ changed to print the fingerprints of the ▒
 │ new host keys. ▒
 │ ▒
 │ The affected host keys are: ▒
 │ ▒
 │ /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key ▒
 │ /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key ▒
 │ ▒
 │ User keys may also be affected by this ▒
 │ problem. The 'ssh-vulnkey' command may be ▮
 │ used as a partial test for this. ↓
 │
 │ <Ok>
 │ │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Had I somebody looking over my shoulder?
Anyway, thanks to marcobra and all of you
Grazie, Marco