If you ever run into a problem on Ubuntu where by your system update, software center, or synaptic fail to run properly and you get the following bug report: E: Encountered a section with no Package: header E: Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/mx.archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_precise-updates_restricted_binary-i386_Packages E: The package lists or status file could not be parsed or opened. You can type the following terminal commands to fix the problem: sudo rm -r /var/lib/apt/lists/* sudo apt-get update The problem was caused by previous attempts to update but your internet network failing to retrieve needed files, which results in Ubuntu getting confused.
I blog to share what I know and have experienced with others.