> > apt doesn't use /var/lib/dpkg/available.
>
> Are you _sure_? Well, maybe apt doesn't, but apt runs dpkg, which does.
>
> I'll try that all later, I can't reboot that machine right now.

I should say, apt doesn't update /var/lib/dpkg/available. It keeps its own
lists in /var/lib/apt. dpkg doesn't really use available, cause with dpkg
you either called it by hand to install a .deb or it was called from a
frontend like apt or dselect.

All /var/lib/dpkg/available does is provide a list of available packages
to dselect.

/var/lib/dpkg/status is the file that tells you the state of the installed
packages.

To test this, I moved /var/lib/dpkg/available /var/lib/dpkg/available.test
and then ran dselect, selected update, and check the contents of the newly
created /var/lib/dpkg/available. No errors, nada. Even adked #debian on
irc.debian.org for you.

If status is nuked, you have troubles, but they can be fixed with some
work.

> I'll try that all later, I can't reboot that machine right now.
Where does rebooting factor in? This is Linux man! :)
/etc/init.d/whatever restart

Andrew S. Zbikowski | http://www.ringworld.org
"We can learn much more from wise words, little
from wisecracks and less from wise guys."
--William Arthur Ward