On 07/11, Friedrich Strohmaier wrote: > Hi all, > > I installed 64-bit arch on a low memory laptop (1G) not thinking about the > higher memory requirement. > > Now I wonder, whether I can approach to change it by changing the pacman.conf > entry > > Architecture = auto > to > Architecture = i686 > > and reinstall all explicitly installed packages. > > I feel like it should work. > > Any "don't do that"s, "go for it"s, "I did it"s out there :o)). > -- > Friedrich I'm certainly no expert on how GNU/Linux systems are put together, but it seems to me that in the process of replacing all 64-bit libraries with their 32-bit equivalents, the currently running 64-bit system will try to use llibraries that you've just deleted, and so will crash during the process. If that happens, you'll be reinstalling anyway. There is a way to get a 32-bit clone of your current system up and running very quickly: 1. Back up any sensitive data, including configuration files. 2. Follow the instructions on the wiki for creating a list of packages installed from the official repositories. [1] Make sure to keep that list with your backups. 3. Format the disks and install a 32-bit build of Arch following the restoration instructions from that same wiki page. 4. Restore your backups. [1]: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman_tips#Backing_up_and_retrieving_a_list_of_installed_packages -- "A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams
