So...a problem (for me) : when I'm trying to update or to install through FApMan I receive this message....when I'm trying to to do the same through the HAM I get "operation failed"..

Didn't manage to update via apt-get update neither (invalid record in the preference file, no package header )

I did unistall the last 2 apps that I've installed 1 day before ( MaeModder and tvbgone) through dpkg -r.

Googling around it seems to be a problem with a file in etc/apt/preferences which for me looks like this:

Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 1001

Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 1001

So my question: what to do with this file - how should I modified it?
Oh ! I realise too that I have 1 repository that has been modified : the Mozilla repository, which shows me now a chinook distribution... BTW disabled it but still the same results as above... also rebooted several times whitout any positive effect...

If these 4 lines are really the only content of your /etc/apt/preferences file, you might safely remove it.
There is the crucial information about what to pin missing as stated in the error message. That line would be some 'package: PutYourPinnedPackageHere' before the lines that are still there.
May be you wanted to pin some package and just did an incomplete copy'n'paste???
Do you have firefox installed? If so the repo entry with chinook is what they are using .

Thanks mate, my bad for mozilla reps.

I just find this thread :http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...pt+preferences and just add Package: apt twice before the lines and now everything seems to work as before.

Are you sure you wanted to pin apt??? There will be no further update for apt. The situation in your linked thread is obsolete.

I'm guessing that maybe you used Maemodder to install the portrait status menu mod, apparently there is a bug in Maemodder which means it doesn't write that file correctly when installing one of the modified hildon-desktop packages (which the portrait status menu needs). Remove the /etc/apt/preferences file and follow the instructions in this post to get the correct entries in that file, and remember that if you want to revert or modified those packages you'll have to remove the entries for them in the preferences file or remove the preferences file completely if there is nothing else in it.

Thanks !!... I'll look into it later, after work. probably the best solution is to remove it completely...

It's true that I was playing with maemodder but not for the status menu, just the multidesktop and hildon acceleration...

Ok, I made my guess based on the fact the that mod needed two packages installed. I guess each mod installed a modified hildon desktop, hence two entries in /etc/apt/preferences, if you want to keep that mod, then you just need a single entry in /etc/apt/preferences like

Thank you so much retsaw. Just went into app manager tonight, and I got "operation failed" looked in the log which said " E: Invalid record in the preferences file, no package header". I thought 'What the f's happened here'. Searched the forum which brought me to here. Then I saw maemodder mentioned, which I had installed 2 days previousley. Weird why it only happened tonight though, because it's been fine the last few days since install. Anyway, following your help and instruction from this thread, managed to get it sorted out. I am so relieved, and just had to thank you with a post as well as a "thanks"

The problem occurred in the previous version on maemodder when trying to remove the customized hildon-desktop.. already fixed

Here more infos : http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=67989

PS: you could solve with a simple

rm /etc/apt/preferences