E:Malformed line 54 in source list/etc/apt/sources

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

copy and paste content here....

Thank you

After when the /etc/apt/sources.list is dressed to install skype use the methos below:

Howto install Skype

Please simply add the medibuntu https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu repository to install Skype.

-- Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type or copy and paste:

sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list

-- give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter

Then type or copy and paste:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo apt-get update

You may be asked to accept this package even though it cannot be authenticated. This is normal; typing "Yes" means you trust Medibuntu.

Then type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install skype

To install Skype on a Ubuntu 64bit please take a look at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/skype_amd64

Or better try this: http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu-amd64

If this solves you problem, please mark as Solved. If not, please clarify your question.

Hope this helps

The file /etc/apt/sources.list tells synaptic and other packaging programs the locations from which to download package lists. Somehow you have an entry in this file that synaptic doesn't understand. Perhaps you or some installation-helper attemtped to a package source? Without details I could only speculate.

To see the line in question, either open the file with Applications->Text Editor or run the following command:
  head -54 /etc/apt/sources.list|tail -1

You can copy the line to this question for further help

If this line starts with the word "deb " you will be able to disable this package source with the Administration->Software Sources application (un-check the corresponding box in the third-party tab).

If there's a different problem you can disable this source by adding a "#" to the beginning of that line in the file (thus turning that line form an instruction into a comment). You have to have administrative privileges to edit this file, so either run the text editor as root:
  sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
or run the command below to add the comment:
  sudo sed -ie '54s/\(.*\)/#\1/' /etc/apt/sources.list

NOTE: As you've noticed, if this file is "broken" you can't update or install, so be careful when editing it. Feel free to post the line in question for further advice if you're unsure.

# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.10 _Intrepid Ibex_ - Release i386 (20081029.5)]/
intrepid main restricted
# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade
to
# newer versions of the distribution.

deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the
## distribution.
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates main
restricted
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates main
restricted

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the
Ubuntu
## team. Also, please note that software in universe WILL NOT receive
any
## review or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe

## N.B. software from this repository is ENTIRELY UNSUPPORTED by the
Ubuntu
## team, and may not be under a free licence. Please satisfy yourself as
to
## your rights to use the software. Also, please note that software in
## multiverse WILL NOT receive any review or updates from the Ubuntu
## security team.
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse
deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from the
'backports'
## repository.
## N.B. software from this repository may not have been tested as
## extensively as that contained in the main release, although it
includes
## newer versions of some applications which may provide useful
features.
## Also, please note that software in backports WILL NOT receive any
review
## or updates from the Ubuntu security team.
# deb http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-backports main
restricted universe multiverse
# deb-src http://au.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-backports main
restricted universe multiverse

## Uncomment the following two lines to add software from Canonical's
## 'partner' repository. This software is not part of Ubuntu, but is
## offered by Canonical and the respective vendors as a service to
Ubuntu
## users.
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu intrepid partner
deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu intrepid partner

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security main restricted
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security main
restricted
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security universe
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security universe
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu intrepid-security multiverse
deb http:'download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/stable non-free
deb http:/download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/stable non-free
On Sat, 2008-11-01 at 09:10 +0000, marcobra wrote:
> Your question #49697 on yelp in ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/yelp/+question/49697
>
> Status: Open => Needs information
>
> marcobra requested for more information:
> Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and
> type:
>
> gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
>
> copy and paste content here....
>
> Thank you
>
> After when the /etc/apt/sources.list is dressed to install skype use
> the methos below:
>
>
> Howto install Skype
>
> Please simply add the medibuntu
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Medibuntu repository to install Skype.
>
> -- Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories →
> Terminal and type or copy and paste:
>
> sudo wget http://www.medibuntu.org/sources.list.d/hardy.list -O
> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/medibuntu.list
>
> -- give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when
> you type it, then press enter
>
> Then type or copy and paste:
>
> sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install medibuntu-keyring && sudo
> apt-get update
>
> You may be asked to accept this package even though it cannot be
> authenticated. This is normal; typing "Yes" means you trust Medibuntu.
>
> Then type:
>
> sudo apt-get update
> sudo apt-get upgrade
> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
> sudo apt-get install skype
>
> To install Skype on a Ubuntu 64bit please take a look at
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/skype_amd64
>
> Or better try this: http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-linux-ubuntu-amd64
>
> If this solves you problem, please mark as Solved. If not, please
> clarify your question.
>
> Hope this helps
>

Thanks fellas, that fixed things, I don't quite know how I mucked it up but it was easy, thanks again, Joe.