Tell me more ×
Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

Update manger won't open saying 

E: could not open file/var/lib/dpkg/status - open(2: No such file or directory),
E:the package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened.

what to do?

share|improve this question
What did you do before this happened? It should not occur on it's own, and this could be a pretty serious issue (not sure how you would go about fixing it). – RolandiXor♦ Apr 9 '11 at 5:27
Have you solved this issue? – pl1nk Jun 24 '12 at 22:16

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status

And then try to update.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

Just had the same problem tried

sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status-old /var/lib/dpkg/status

it could not find the file opened nautilus and the whole var/lib directory was missing rebooted server and problem it fixed its-self - Time for a backup of everything and then maybe replace a few disks.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.