package lists or status file unreadable

[Geordie Birch <geordie@tao.ca>]

	During a routine 'sudo apt-get update&&sudo apt-get -uyd upgrade',
my X display froze.  The screen showed:

Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/main Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/main Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/contrib Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/contrib Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-free Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-free Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/main Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/main Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/contrib Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/contrib Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/non-free Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/non-free Release
Reading Package Lists...

The mouse cursor was frozen, ctrl-alt-[fn] and ctrl-alt-backspace were not
working.  After a few minutes I  rebooted (I live in the country, no local
e-mail terminal to remotely login from.)

	After reboot,  I ran 'sudo apt-get update&&sudo apt-get -uyd
upgrade' again.  This time (and all subsequent times) the output was:

Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/main Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/main Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/contrib Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/contrib Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-free Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-free Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/main Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/main Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/contrib Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/contrib Release
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/non-free Packages
Hit http://mirror.direct.ca unstable/non-US/non-free Release
Reading Package Lists... Error!
E: Problem parsing dependency Depends
E: Error occured while processing rio500 (NewVersion1)
E: Problem with MergeList
/var/lib/apt/lists/mirror.direct.ca_pub_linux_debian_dists_unstable_main_binary-i386_Packages
E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

	As well, apt-cache search and apt-cache show now end in segfault.

	Geordie.






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