Arch Linux

Roll

Member

Registered: 2025-01-27

Posts: 3

Timeshift makes Arch to Load into Snapshot > BTRFS

Hi guys,

please help me to fix Grub to the state were:
1) deleted Timshift Snapshop will not cause trouble
2) during the start Grub will show all new snapshots created.

I am quite new with Linux and decided to try BTRFS file system with Timeshift to save me from re-installs.
Obviously I crashed my Arch at some point and used linux mint live USB drive to launch Timeshift and restore the system back to 2025-02-16

However,
I have now noticed my Arch is always booting up directly from the snapshot...
Is this a correct behaviour?
I presumed, all files/grub should be copied from the snapshot into the /root main location.... but I end up using Snapshot as a main system.

If I delete the "live" snapshot via Timeshift, -  I and up with the black screen after restart....
I can again boot up linux mint, - manually adjust the grub, directing it to another snapshot and go live...
but.... in this case, a live usb flashdrive in the pocket must be present...  And as I have experienced snapshot to be deleted just during a simple python install, - it does not sound fun at all...

is there any option to restore grub.cfg to original state?
I tried "sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg" , but it updates grub inside the snapshot only....

as per image below, my system runs from the highlighted snapshot

if I check /boot/grub/grub.cfb in each of the snaps,
all of them have the same grub, directing to the top snap "2025-02-16_15-25-52"
grub-btrfs.cfg is automatically updated only inside the active snap "2025-02-16_15-25-52"
but once I restart and check the snaps from the boot menu, - it shows only the old ones... No idea how and why...

I found some youtube vids showing how to restore grub from scratch, but all of them are about .ext4 file system, which is quite different in structure.

Any link or advise?
Thanks in advance....

Relevant data below:

my volumes and mount points at the moment (does not look correct):

nvme1n1     259:5    0   3.6T  0 disk
├─nvme1n1p1 259:6    0   3.4T  0 part /mnt/win_d
├─nvme1n1p2 259:7    0     1G  0 part /efi
├─nvme1n1p3 259:8    0    16G  0 part [SWAP]
└─nvme1n1p4 259:9    0 227.1G  0 part /run/timeshift/1649/backup
                                      /home
                                      /

Full grub here: https://pastebin.com/6cbregyp

Full fstab file here: https://pastebin.com/3h5sg94P
my grub.cfg main points:

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
insmod part_gpt
insmod part_msdos
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
  load_env
fi

........ 
............
...............

if [ x$feature_default_font_path = xy ] ; then
   font=unicode
else
insmod part_gpt
insmod btrfs
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 065a3401-3bd3-47b2-883d-92b3be29e1f8
    font="/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-02-16_15-25-52/@/usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2"
fi

....
........
.............

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Arch Linux R17' --class arch --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-065a3401-3bd3-47b2-883d-92b3be29e1f8' {
	load_video
	set gfxpayload=keep
	insmod gzio
	insmod part_gpt
	insmod btrfs
	search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root 065a3401-3bd3-47b2-883d-92b3be29e1f8
	echo	'Loading Linux linux ...'
	linux	/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-02-16_15-25-52/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=065a3401-3bd3-47b2-883d-92b3be29e1f8 rw rootflags=subvol=timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-02-16_15-25-52/@  loglevel=3 quiet
	echo	'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
	initrd	/timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-02-16_15-25-52/@/boot/intel-ucode.img /timeshift-btrfs/snapshots/2025-02-16_15-25-52/@/boot/initramfs-linux.img
}

P.S.
I am  dual-booting with Windows, cannot avoid that...

Last edited by Roll (2025-02-17 15:46:04)