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From: Volker Armin Hemmann <volkerarmin@googlemail.com>
To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] How should I clean up my broken system?
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:55:48 +0100
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On Freitag 12 Februar 2010, Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> Hi, Gentoo!
> 
> As reported in other threads, my new PC had a broken RAM stick in it.
> As a result, an unknown proportion of installed binaries are flaky.  One
> non-functioning binary is probably GCC.
> 
> What I'd like to do is reinstall every binary, yet without erasing any
> configuration info, whose creation was so arduous.
> 
> Where does portage keep it's list of installed packages? 

/var/db/pkg

> What do I have
> to do to persuade portage it has _no_ installed packages before doing
> 'rm -rf *' in /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin?

--emtpytree

> 
> Has anybody any other tips to offer me for this operation?

tar up /etc.