Ubuntu apt-get update error

August 16, 2013 18.2k views
dzulfriday
By:
dzulfriday
Suddenly recently when i do apt-get update, it will end with this: Reading package lists... Error! How to fix this?
2 comments
  • atbarrington January 2, 2016

    I just got this error after trying to install mongdb.

    Any luck?

  • atbarrington January 2, 2016

    This is fixed for me now.

    I removed the file I created in the mongo installation process, ran apt-get clean, then rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* to remove the package list files. After that, sudo reboot to restart the server.

Log In to Comment
13 Answers
kamaln7 MOD August 17, 2013
Run this command: 

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 16126D3A3E5C1192
Reply
basslines August 6, 2014

I got this error when I installed chef-server on a 1GB server and it was eating up all of the memory on the box, leaving nothing for apt-get to work with. After I removed chef, all was well again. Chef starts up its own copy of nginx, and postresql, so it's a huge memory hog.

Reply
  • tholden May 5, 2017

    It's dated, but I spent about 30 minutes with this same problem. When I read this comment, it occured to me to check my mem-usage and low-and-behold, saturated. Doing some house cleaning fixed it. Just in case any body in the future comes across this problem.

soheilbalini August 16, 2013
firstly having a back up will be good Idea

try this command
sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf
sudo apt-get update
Reply
kamaln7 MOD August 16, 2013
Did you add any repositories manually?
Reply
dzulfriday August 17, 2013
Now the error has gone after i do
sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf
sudo apt-get update

But when i update, usually there was long list of update but now only this:

Hit http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic Release.gpg
Hit http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic Release
Hit http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic/non-free amd64 Packages
Hit http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic/non-free i386 Packages
Ign http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic/non-free TranslationIndex
Ign http://apt.newrelic.com newrelic/non-free Translation-en
Reading package lists... Done

How to make it back to normal?
Reply
pablo August 17, 2013
The problem probably lies in /etc/apt

What files do you have in /etc/apt/sources.list.d?

Also, what repo's do you see activated when you execute cat /etc/apt/sources.list?
Reply
kamaln7 MOD August 17, 2013
Run 
sudo apt-get clean

sudo apt-get update


Does that fix it? It should regenerate the files in /var/lib/apt/lists
Reply
dzulfriday August 17, 2013
Pablo and Kamal,
Inside /etc/apt/sources.list.d there is:
newrelic.list

Inside the /etc/apt/sources.list, i try to use the list given here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/191669/how-to-restore-the-default-repositories-in-12-04

But after i do the update it update smoothly until after reading the package it gives me this error:
Reading package lists... Done
W: GPG error: http://extras.ubuntu.com precise Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 16126D3A3E5C1192

Reply
pablo August 17, 2013
Here is a simple example of a typical /etc/apt/sources.list file.
Reply
dzulfriday August 17, 2013
Pablo, i use that list but i still get:
W: GPG error: http://extras.ubuntu.com precise Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 16126D3A3E5C1192
Reply
dzulfriday August 17, 2013
Ok its solved, thanks to both of you.
But is it will be ok for my droplet after what has happened? The sources list now i think is different
Reply
kamaln7 MOD August 17, 2013
I believe you will have to re-add any repos you added before you reset the sources.list file.
Reply
rkm September 30, 2015

Thanks @kamaln7 you saved my day

Reply
Have another answer? Share your knowledge.