Arch Linux

Navillus

Member

Registered: 2008-04-05

Posts: 11

[solved] Pacman seems to think i have nothing installed

ok im quite new to arch linux and ive been attempting to get to grips with it quickly so i may have done something stupid here...

i installed arch with kde and have switched recently to the ice kernel, due to tryingto get compiz running and needing to update my graphics driver....

having done this however pacman seems to have lost the fact that  it has ever installed anything...

is there a way to remedy this...

64bit btw...

thanks in advance for any input and let me know if i need to give any extra info...
Navillus

Last edited by Navillus (2008-05-08 20:46:25)

Navillus

Member

Registered: 2008-04-05

Posts: 11

Re: [solved] Pacman seems to think i have nothing installed

grrr stupid machine seems it is the switch to the ice kernel
can anyone give me a pointer on what i might have done wrong or how to fix it?
Navillus

Cerebral

Forum Fellow

From: Waterloo, ON, CA

Registered: 2005-04-08

Posts: 3,108

Website

Re: [solved] Pacman seems to think i have nothing installed

Well, pacman stores everything it knows about your system's packages in /var/lib/pacman/local -- if that dir is empty, then you're in trouble.  There's a script floating around somewhere that takes your pacman.log from /var/log and tries to re-install every package that should be on your system in an attempt to recreate /var/lib/pacman/local - I can never remember where that script is though; you'll have to do a search.

Navillus

Member

Registered: 2008-04-05

Posts: 11

Re: [solved] Pacman seems to think i have nothing installed

that directory isnt empty... it was just when booted under the ice kernel pacman seemed to 'forget' about it...
very wierd..
i found that what i thought id done to 'upgrade' my graphics driver had actually broken it anyway so im going to have to try a different way...

thanks for the advice...
Navillus

Navillus

Member

Registered: 2008-04-05

Posts: 11

Re: [solved] Pacman seems to think i have nothing installed

it seems that changing kernels changes the contents of /var... hmm learn something new every day-this is indeed my problem- i apologise for being wrong in thinking it wasnt...

i assume the script you meant is pt-pacfix from pactools... this seems to be working
thank you....