Member Avatar for lewashby

I have recently installed LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) onto my laptop but I can't isntall anything because it can't find the sources. I'm assuming I need to edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file but I'm not sure. And if so I don't know in what way I should edit the file.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by pritaeas

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Common cause and quick diagnosis

LMDE keeps its active APT entries in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list (not in /etc/apt/sources.list). A message like “couldn’t find the sources” most often means that file is missing, malformed, or the Mint/Debian signing keys are not installed. Confirm the basics first (network, DNS) and capture the exact output of sudo apt update — that output is the most useful diagnostic. (downloads.cupdate.org)

Repair steps (safe, minimal)

  1. Backup the existing file.
  2. Open /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list and restore the correct entries for your LMDE release (example for LMDE 2 “Betsy” shown here).
  3. Update and install the Mint keyring so apt can verify packages.

Example (run as root or with sudo):

cp /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list ~/official-package-repositories.list.bak
nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
# add or correct lines, for example:
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com betsy main upstream import backport
deb http://http.debian.net/debian jessie main contrib non-free
deb http://http.debian.net/debian jessie-updates main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org jessie/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://extra.linuxmint.com betsy main

apt-get update
apt-get install linuxmint-keyring debian-archive-keyring
apt-get update

Those example lines and the keyring step are commonly used to restore LMDE Betsy sources and keys. (blog.desdelinux.net)

Troubleshooting and cautions

Look for duplicate or malformed lines across /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/* (APT will complain about “malformed entry” with the offending line number). If you get signature errors, installing the linuxmint-keyring package normally fixes them. Do not mix Debian and Ubuntu base repositories on LMDE — that will break package consistency. Note that the Mint “Software Sources” GUI (mintsources) can overwrite manual edits to the official repository file, so treat GUI changes and manual edits accordingly. Useful recovery commands include apt-get -f install and dpkg --configure -a.

Context from the thread

The connectivity checks suggested by are the right first step. The “mark solved” tip from is the UI way to close the thread once resolved.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for CimmerianX

If it's a clean install, you should already have your default sources set to go.

I would check the basics:
Do you have intenet connectivity? Try pinging 4.2.2.1.
Do you have working DNS? Try pinging www.google.com, does it resolve?
What does apt-get update return?

Member Avatar for lewashby

The internet connection was always working fine. Don't know why but now it's working. Go figure.

Member Avatar for lewashby

They've chagned the site. How do I mark solved?

Member Avatar for pritaeas

How do I mark solved?

Top right of the page, large blue button.

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