How can I fix my broken package manager? "software index is broken"

Question

I am using Ubuntu 16.04. How can I fix the following issue?

Software index is broken

This is a major failure of your software management system.    
Please check for broken packages with synaptic, check the file  
permissions and correctness of the file '/etc/apt/sources.list' and    
reload the software information with: 'sudo apt-get update' and   
'sudo apt-get install -f'.

In addition to this error I'm also still getting the same error in the terminal as I got while trying to install an .rpm package in my previous question: Restoring system for a crashed installation. I also got an error message about an obsolete PPA and another xenial repository that can't be authenticated.

I can't install any packages at all. I can't use apt-get, can't use gebi installer, and I can't even open the Synaptic package manager.

Solution

As this error message Software index is broken. This is a major failure of your software management system. suggests, there is a major failure of your software management system comprised of several different errors, and these errors need to be individually repaired one error at a time in order to restore your package management to working condition.

Open the terminal and type:

sudo rm -vf /var/lib/apt/lists/*  
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:pinta-maintainers/pinta-stable
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -f

Comments

[userDepth]

Maybe you can try this askubuntu.com/questions/646176/reading-package-lists-error

[mathmaniage]

@userDepth, I don't know what the file, "/etc/......." should had contained, and the second solution didn't work, Can I reinstall the package manager or something?

[userDepth]

I remembered that sometimes servers take a little extra time to refresh the list archives and during that time this happens. Try using the main server instead and run an apt-get update.

[mathmaniage]

I tried this and the linked page's commands, however, it's still not working. This happened when I was trying to install maya, and this is the error: pasteboard.co/GIV4hsV.png

[mathmaniage]

it won't let me do the second step and gives this error: pasteboard.co/GIV4hsV.png

[sissyphus_69]

bugs.launchpad.net/pinta/+bug/1607586

[Incredible]

This worked for me.