Software Index is broken.....

can reproduce the exact words in the window if you want but have seen the same window in other issues... yada yada please try these 3 things: (i'll put in brackets what the response was from terminal after I did them)

1 sudo /etc/apt/sources.list (sudo: /etc/apt/sources.list: command not found)

2 sudo apt-get update ({whole lotta stuff then} E: GPG error: http://viewizard.com debian/ InRelease: Clearsigned file isn't valid, got 'NODATA' (does the network require authentication?)

3 sudo apt-get install -f (Reading package list... Error! E: Encountered a section with no Package: header
E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/viewizard.com_linux_debian_en
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

(can anyone be parsed translating any of this for me, cheers)

Also if it's of any enlightenment: I got this Broken Software Index message when I first tried to open synaptic, and then I thought maybe I'm supposed to be using GDebi, and that wouldn't list anything either.

I know I've been trying lots of things to make one random program work and ironically wordbiz.jar is now working... unfortunately I'm not able to explain exactly what I've been doing to my poor Rebecca lately, mainly because I haven't been able to find good instructions so I've just been trying different things myself.

Can you yada yada yada the output of
Thanks.

1 members found this post helpful.

how are you connecting to the internet? is it some sort of public wifi access point?
i once tried upgrading my system on a public wifi and failed.

Hi thank you for responding / looking.
-------------------------

sudo inxi -rS =

System: Host: user-EB1501P Kernel: 3.13.0-37-generic x86_64 (64 bit) Desktop: N/A Distro: Linux Mint 17.1 Rebecca
Repos: Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://viewizard.com/linux debian/
Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nilarimogard-webupd8-trusty.list
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/nilarimogard/webupd8/ubuntu trusty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/nilarimogard/webupd8/ubuntu trusty main
Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
deb http://ucmirror.canterbury.ac.nz/linux/mint/packages rebecca main upstream import
deb http://extra.linuxmint.com rebecca main
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu trusty main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu trusty-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ trusty partner
Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/webupd8team-java-trusty.list
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu trusty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/webupd8team/java/ubuntu trusty main
Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xubuntu-dev-xfce-4_12-trusty.list
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/xubuntu-dev/xfce-4.12/ubuntu trusty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/xubuntu-dev/xfce-4.12/ubuntu trusty main


----------------------------

Thanks very much it's just a normal home wifi connection.

look at the error message you posted in post #1, then look at "Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list" - do you notice something?

open a terminal, typethen put a '#' in front of every line containing "viewizard.com".

after that perform
it might still complain, in which case please read
on how to fix your software index or broken packages.

Remove this entry.

Command not found because you did not enter a command. Did you mean to enter "sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list" ?
That would still be wrong. Use gksudo instead.

As mentioned, you need to get rid of the viewlizard.com
Then if you still have a MergeList error message, open Main Menu > Administration > Software Sources > Maintenance > click on "Fix MergeList".

Ok am not sure how this quote of your clues is going to lay out but I thought I'd put that in first.
When I did the
-------------------------------------------

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list =

#deb cdrom:[Linux Mint 17.1 _Rebecca_ - Release amd64 20141126]/ trusty contrib$
## Viewizard Games repository
deb http://viewizard.com/linux debian/

-----------------------------------------------
and that's it I didn't get the list that I would have expected.

I couldn't put the cursor in front of the deb http://viewizard.com/linux debian/ but I suspect that's not even what you would have meant ...

I am used to when you put lines in terminal you get the

user@user-EB1501P ~ $ (who you are and where you are maybe)
with the blinking cursor straight after it

so

There already being ## in front of the above

Bit stuck right here. Terminal seems to be trying to be listing but stuck? Am I close

Am not sure what you guys are inferring exactly but viewizard = bad mebbee and I have to stop some code trying to... open it / consider it valid in the repository as it doesn't make sense / be a real place or something...

So inferring that these viewizard lines are screwing up the whole package list......

I vaguely suspect that by putting # in front of something makes it like instructions in the code that are invisible to the system...

Wouldn't say I can see light at the end of the tunnel unless that is a bus coming

Umm...

Edit= thanks for the list of tutorial type things I will go and try glean some scoobies directly

oh but that is exactly what i meant.
you can also use gedit instead of nano.

i recommend commenting out (putting a # in front) instead of just deleting the lines.

1 members found this post helpful.

It was still hanging? might be the word...

I don't know how to get to the editable list from there.

But anyway, I tried some other things, and maybe the advice above solved it? I should have kept testing the issue during the advice. or maybe something else did, found some fixes elsewhere involving things like

and synaptic is now listing again.

So.

I am really loathe to call it SOLVED with my lack of clues about what happened why it happened and why it has stopped happening, but that is what I am going to do.

Thanks for all of your advice I just wish I had understood one person's posts completely but combinededly I guess I got some more understanding, and thanks to you for listing exact tutes / threads to get more clues have stored all of them, I obviously need one massive tute just on Terminal, that certainly seemed to be a lacking aspect from the searches I had done for this thread when I started posting.

The layout when you start this site I find overly weblike, as in not set out to help newbies post, and I don't understand why many duplicate threads don't seem to show up at first. having posting tips that you can turn off eventually even if it were just buttons inside the posting window for newbies might stop you guys getting sick of people not setting out code properly. And it's all pretty much the same shade but various hues of blue. Just sayin.