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How to Fix a Problem with Mergelist or

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Status Files That Could Not be Parsed Newsletter
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 September 5, 2023  Gagan Mishra (https://trendoceans.com/author/gdm/) our newsletter. We don't want you to
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with how-tos, tips & tricks, and to be
be-parsed/#respond)
well-informed open-source community
members.

Itʼs not that difficult to fix the error problems with mergelist or status files
First Name
that could not be parsed with the help of some basic troubleshooting
steps.
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A friend of mine, while exploring his system, made some changes to the /var/lib
/dpkg/status directory and is now stuck with the error message.
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Now he cannot update his system or install any applications, but one thing that always
comes up on his screen is

E Encountered a section with no Package: header Donʼt Find What You Are
E Problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status Looking For?

E The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

Search

And later, he messed up more with his system and brought up the new error by deleting
the status file from his system, which you can see below.
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Reading package lists… Error! How to Get Minimize and Maximize

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E Could not open file – open 2 No such file or directory)
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E The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened. MAY 17, 2023 /
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If you are also one of them who has abruptly made changes to the status file GNOME/#COMMENTS

(http://www.fifi.org/doc/libapt-pkg-doc/dpkg-tech.html/ch1.html) or removed it, or if itʼs

corrupted due to any unknown reason, then stay with me. How to Install ImageMagick or Imagick
PHP Extension in Linux
(https://trendoceans.com/install-
Iʼll show you how to fix this error by removing some more files, and then we will update
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the system repository to rebuild the package lists. JUNE 17, 2022 /
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Table of Contents
1. How to Fix Mergelist or Status Files That Could Not be Parsed Error NuTyX 23.02.1 is Now Available with the
1.1. Step 01 Remove all the File Content from /var/lib/apt/lists/* Recent Stable Kernel 6.2.1
1.2. Step 02 Rebuild the Repository Cache (https://trendoceans.com/nutyx-new-

2. How to Fix E flAbsPath on /var/lib/dpkg/status failed – realpath 2 No such file or release/)
MARCH 2, 2023 /
directory) 0 COMMENTS HTTPS//TRENDOCEANS.COM/NUTYX
NEWRELEASE/#RESPOND
3. How to Fix Unable to Parse Package File in Debian
4 Wrap up
How to Resolve No Sound from Bluetooth
Tip Me
Headset in Linux
How to Fix Mergelist or Status Files That Could Not be Parsed (https://trendoceans.com/how-to-
resolve-no-sound-from-bluetooth-
Error headset-in-linux/)
JUNE 23, 2023 /
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As you know, the rm command (https://trendoceans.com/rm-command-in-linux/) is a TORESOLVENOSOUNDFROMBLUETOOTH
HEADSETINLINUX/#COMMENTS
destructive one that can completely wipe out your system if you donʼt use it carefully.
ARPCHAT Communicate using ARP
Protocol inside Isolated Network
(https://trendoceans.com/arpchat/)
Therefore, Iʼm iterating on the steps that we are going to take.
APRIL 7, 2022 /
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/ARPCHAT/#RESPOND
Step 01 Remove all the file content from /var/lib/apt/lists/*
Step 02 We rebuild repository cache

If the problem is not yet resolved and you are getting status failed – realpath 2 No such
file or directory), then we will jump to the second method to restore the status file.

So letʼs resolve the error now.

Step 01 Remove all the File Content from /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Open your system terminal and delete all the files from the /var/lib/apt/lists/ using the
below command:

$ sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf

Now, if you are pondering why I told you to remove the file, it is because the files in the
/var/lib/apt/lists used by system to store and hold the information about the avaible
pacakge.

So, whenever you try to install any application, it first checks the information in /var/lib
/apt/lists. If it finds the details, it goes online and fetches the application for you.

Now, by removing the content, you are basically clearing up the cache of package
information stored in the /var/lib/apt/lists directory,which may trigger the error.

Step 02 Rebuild the Repository Cache

Once you delete the file content from the /var/lib/apt/lists directory, you need to rebuild
the repository cache.

To do this, you need to run the following command into the terminal screen:

$ sudo apt update

After running the above command, youʼre problem will get resolved, but if the problem is
still there with the error “status failed – realpath 2 No such file or directory), then you
have to make few more changes to fix this.

How to Fix E flAbsPath on /var/lib/dpkg/status failed –

realpath 2 No such file or directory)
When you read the error, it basically says there is a missing status file in the /var/lib/dpkg
directory, which causes the error, and due to that, you are not able to update and install
applications.

So to restore the status file, you can look for the status-old file in /var/lib/dpkg by running
the below command:

$ locate /var/lib/dpkg "status"

If the status-old file is present, then you can easily restore the changes by renaming
status-old to status, and then you should update the repository to refresh the package
information.

$ sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status

For any reason, if the status-old file is not available at the corresponding location, you can
restore the status file from /var/backups/dpkg.status.*.gz.

To extract one of the status files from the corresponding directory, execute the below
command:

$ sudo gunzip /var/backups/dpkg.status.0.gz

Once you have successfully extracted the file, place the status file in /var/lib/dpkg/ using
the next line of command and update the system.

$ sudo cp -v /var/backups/dpkg.status.0 /var/lib/dpkg/status

$ sudo rm -r /var/lib/apt/lists/*
$ sudo apt update

If it is still not working, then you can create a virtual machine of the same distribution and
version and copy the status file from the virtual machine to your host system using the
scp command (https://trendoceans.com/how-to-copy-file-from-local-to-remote-
server-in-linux/), then try to update the system.

As far as I know, after following the above steps, your problem will no longer exist on your
system.

How to Fix Unable to Parse Package File in Debian

If you are getting E Unable to parse package file /var/lib/apt/extended_states 1 into your
Debian machine, run the following command into your system:

$ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/extended_states

$ sudo apt update

Wrap up
Thatʼs all for this article to resolve the status files could not be parsed error on your
Ubuntu machine and also on your Debian-based system.

If your problem still persists, feel free to comment below, and Iʼll try to help you out.

Here is a summary of the commands that I have used in this guide to solve the problem.

Fix problem with MergeList /var/lib/dpkg/status

$ sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/* -vf
$ sudo apt update

Fix status failed – realpath 2 No such file or directory)

$ sudo mv /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status
$ sudo apt update

Fix unable to parse package file in Debian

$ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/apt/extended_states
$ sudo apt update

See you in the next article…

Gagan Mishra (https://trendoceans.com/author/gdm/)

A man with a tech effusive who has explored some of the amazing technology stuff and is exploring
more. While moving towards, I had a chance to work on Android development, Linux, AWS, and
 DevOps with several open-source tools.

(https://t.me/@im_123 (mailto:[email protected])

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