Reset msys2

[goyalyashpal]

Is there some way to reset msys2?

That is, which

• removes extra packages/cache,
• syncs the core explicity packages with repo here
  (to take care of things like base cleanup and base metapack)
• overwrites any config files et cetera to match the repo copy
  (to take care of things like filesystem: drop agm2 function #3484)

That is, essentially some way which takes in the old state of the installation directory of msys2, and returns the directory as if msys2 was just installed from scratch with a recent msys2 installer??

---

how just reinstalling msys2-installer differs from this

• what is the behaviour of running msys2-installer on same existing directory?
• it requires downloading the installer (bandwidth)

this imagined command will just download the latest installer_matching_data

---

Some thoughts regarding how this can be accomplished using existing commands:

1. pacman -Syu : updating core can take care of things like base cleanup right?
2. the --explicit packages that are there on a fresh install of msys2 currently are: base filesystem msys2-runtime
   • so, how can the packages which are --unrequired by above 3 be listed and hence uninstalled? Note that those packages may be required by other packeages.
3. how can config files be reset to match the repo using commands??

[goyalyashpal]

2023-02-06

• This same requirement popped up again, "listing installed packages unrequired by a package"
• or in other words, list all installed packages except the ones supplied by this list... where "this list" comes from [pactree] --unique
• in today's case, the i was looking for unrequired by pacman

I think:

• this filtering out (removing) the enteries programmatically is more suited to some other utility - sed awk or smth else.
• As it seems to be a case of subtracting 2 strings (dunno if technically correct): pactree --unique <package-name> subtracted from pacman -Q --quiet

but i haven't yet used those tools.

[goyalyashpal]

2023-02-15

This example ( after: #3565 (comment) ) is a nice illustration:

pacman usage notes to self:

• use pacman -Rs cvs i.e. --remove --recursive to uninstall all the dependencies too required by only cvs,
• if not removed recursively, then those deps would show up in pacman -Qt i.e. --query --unrequired
  (but not in -Qe i.e. -Q --explicit)

Summary

$ # Remove Recursively
$ pacman -R --recursive <package>

$ # Query unrequired
$ pacman -Q --unrequired

Noting on 2023.03.24:
Luke Smith also says in his pacman intro vid to use -n or --nosave option to remove configuration files. Thus: -Rns

---

Details

$ ##### Virgin Info
$ pacman -Qe
$ pacman -Qt

$ # Sync install cvs
$  pacman -S cvs <<< y
resolving dependencies...
looking for conflicting packages...

Packages (2) heimdal-7.8.0-3  cvs-1.11.23-4
    ...

$ ##### Trial runs Query
$  pacman -Qe
base 2022.06-1
cvs 1.11.23-4
filesystem 2023.02.07-1
msys2-runtime 3.4.5-1
pactoys r55.8860e1f-1

$  pacman -Qt
base 2022.06-1
cvs 1.11.23-4
pactoys r55.8860e1f-1

$ ##### Trial runs Remove
$ # Remove
$  pacman -R cvs <<< n
checking dependencies...

Packages (1) cvs-1.11.23-4
    ...

$ # Remove unneeded
$  pacman -Ru cvs <<< n
checking dependencies...

Packages (1) cvs-1.11.23-4
    ...

$ # Remove recursive: successful
$  pacman -Rs cvs <<< n
checking dependencies...

Packages (2) heimdal-7.8.0-3  cvs-1.11.23-4
    ...

$ ##### Actual Removal
$  pacman -R cvs <<< y
checking dependencies...

Packages (1) cvs-1.11.23-4
    ...

$ ##### Query unrequired: successful
$  pacman -Qt
base 2022.06-1
heimdal 7.8.0-3
pactoys r55.8860e1f-1

$ # Query explicit
$  pacman -Qe
base 2022.06-1
filesystem 2023.02.07-1
msys2-runtime 3.4.5-1
pactoys r55.8860e1f-1

[goyalyashpal]

Trying above findings on an actual case:

$  pacman -S gcc
resolving dependencies...
looking for conflicting packages...

Packages (8) binutils-2.40-1  isl-0.25-3  mpc-1.3.0-2
             msys2-runtime-devel-3.4.6-1
             msys2-w32api-headers-10.0.0.r16.g49a56d453-1
             msys2-w32api-runtime-10.0.0.r16.g49a56d453-1
             windows-default-manifest-6.4-1  gcc-11.3.0-3

Total Download Size:    40.94 MiB
Total Installed Size:  311.35 MiB

:: Proceed with installation? [Y/n] y
...

$  pacman -R --recursive gcc <<< n
checking dependencies...

Packages (8) binutils-2.40-1  isl-0.25-3  mpc-1.3.0-2
             msys2-runtime-devel-3.4.6-1
             msys2-w32api-headers-10.0.0.r16.g49a56d453-1
             msys2-w32api-runtime-10.0.0.r16.g49a56d453-1
             windows-default-manifest-6.4-1  gcc-11.3.0-3

Total Removed Size:  311.35 MiB

:: Do you want to remove these packages? [Y/n] n

yes, works perfectly ☺️