Lost partitions after archinstall script

lngndvs · 2025-07-24 04:55:00

This is about my disastrous result from attempting to install archlinux via the archinstall script. As I will explain in too much detail, my existing home partition---my clever way to save my files over multiple installs, over decades of work---was not backed up as it should be, and the partition---some 600GB---was deleted immediately after I hit enter to proceed with the install. I am devastated. None of my unschooled attempts to recover have worked. Apparently I have an empty fillesystem in the same defined space at /dev/nvme0n1p1. A bunch of important work is gone. So I post, hoping for suggestions. I have tried testdisk and photorec. I have tried not to write to that partition; but I think some of my bumbling may have done so.

One important question, before moving on: when this script moves ahead to install on a previously formatted partition---in the manual partitioning mode---does it wipe the partition? The other questions are obvious: how to recover the filesystem structure. The shop talk about block devices (cylinders, blocks, sectors, etc.) are beyond my understanding.

Here's a little about what happened.

About three days ago, I became aware of inconsistencies between three Arch-based distributions; so I decided to bite the bullet and install Arch. I have done this before, several years ago, but the installation was daunting, at my skill level. I have tried this script before, but had forgotten about one of the issues encountered earlier with this script.

The problem for me started when I reached the partitioning module. During the process I encountered this problem: once I mistakenly typed a mounting partition into the box, it was impossible to just cancel. So I typed in "/extra" as a---hopefully---placeholder. Then I did as I have done dozens of times, used my existing home partition as, again, "/home." I had encountered some gibberish about switching back and forth to two different states, which I assumed to mean either keep or format. But the command did not work: nothing happened.

So I made this mistake: I went forward with the procedure. Immediately as I the words "has been deleted" cross the console, I bailed out of the procedure.

What can I do to recover the inode index, or whatever is involved, and get my files back?

ADavis

seth · 2025-07-24 05:27:48

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/File_recovery
testdisk can usually find partitions for you (there might be false positives), in general, restoring the previous partition layout would immediately recover the filesystem if it hasn't been overwritten yet.
From there on the most important questions are
1. did you use some sort of raid? (dm, lvm)
2. what filesystems were involved?
3. was the critical partition encrypted (if the answer to this is "yes", consider yourself fubar…)

I have tried not to write to that partition; but I think some of my bumbling may have done so.

Whatever you do: BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE clone the drive onto another drive or into an image (dd) a backup against further fatal writes.

Unfortunately I've no idea what archinstall does except making a robust and simple process fragile and complicated - it might use wipefs to remove partition signatures (in which case testdisk of course can no longer find them)

WorMzy · 2025-07-24 09:00:52

Mod note: moving to archinstall subforum

Arch Linux

#1 2025-07-24 04:55:00

Lost partitions after archinstall script

#2 2025-07-24 05:27:48

Re: Lost partitions after archinstall script

#3 2025-07-24 09:00:52

Re: Lost partitions after archinstall script

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