How to fix problem with sudo apt-get update

January 31, 2016 18.3k views
DigitalOcean System Tools Ubuntu
futuristicblanket
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futuristicblanket

When I try to run sudo apt-get update on my ubuntu 14.04 droplet I get the error... 

Reading package lists... Error!                                                
E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/mirrors.digitalocean.com_ubuntu_dists_trusty_universe_i18n_Translation-en%5fUS
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

I have taken no steps so far as I have no clue where to start. Any sort of advice or idea as to what the problem could be is welcome.

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2 Answers
asb MOD February 1, 2016

Generally, you should be able to resolve that error by removing the cached package list files and redownload them. This can be done with:

  • sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/*

  • sudo apt-get update

Let us know if that helps!

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  • futuristicblanket February 2, 2016

    Thanks for your help Andrew. This has helped me out a lot. I love the service and support that Digital Ocean offers at a very competitive price, I often recommend you. I did however find I needed to put a -r after rm as there are directories that need to be removed.

  • JBnoob August 9, 2017

    I have no idea where to put that code... pls help

waqasobs August 19, 2016

i have tried all the options to fix this error , but still i am facing this error
Fetched 32.7 MB in 15s (2,155 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Error!

please guide me what to do ?

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