The answer to how to fix dpkg errors caused by faulty entries in the available file is the following
see this url for the solution http://www.bitsbythepound.com/fix-dpkg-available-file-in-ubuntu-364.html Symptom: Every time an apt-get command is run, some sort of error or warning is reported stating that an available package has a corrupt version number. Cause: The ‘available’ file used by dpkg contains erroneous information or is corrupted. Solution: Rebuild the ‘available’ file. Recipe: 1. Back up current file as root do the following cp /var/lib/dpkg/available /var/lib/dpkg/available.broken 2. Delete current ‘available’ file dpgk --clear-avail 3. Rebuild ‘available’ file apt-get update then it will be ok -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20111028124556.ga3...@earthlink.net
