I am confused about how this boot-loader/manager works or fails to work

Issues & Assistance
1

This is a direct message to the team who develops CachyOS.

I absolutely love CachyOS, and don’t feel that ANY other distro even comes close to how this particular one balances cutting edge features and real world stability. And while I think the graphical interface of Refind is great in a system like mine, where I multi-boot several OS’s, I feel that in this day and age the bootloader should be more bulletproof, especially since you’ve added AI to Refind. But it isn’t… And it seems to be easily corrupted. But the real question is can it be rectified and repaired without mass destruction???

A few days ago, I was using TimeShift to restore a recent backup of my CachyOS to ANOTHER PARTITION. I like to have two instances of my OS, just in case something happens during a drastic work moment, I have the entire system on another partition ready to go, and I don’t lose any work time, and don’t have to rush to go through all the steps of a restore, when it’s not convenient to do so. And even when I did restore choosing ONLY partition 4 to change, for some ridiculous reason it screwed up the EFI partition as well, and corrupted my bootloader ending my ability to boot into my other instance of CachyOS on partition 6. This was infuriating and defeated the purpose for the entire setup!

After going through all the headaches of getting a working OS setup AGAIN, I decided to load a fresh instance of CachyOS onto another partition choosing “Replace Partition” on nvme0n1p4 specifically so it would not touch partition one or the other partition with the OS on it, but the installer still overwrote my existing Refind config on the EFI partition and broke my working partition on nvme0n1p6.

I mean, the installation option is LITERALLY called “Replace Partition” - not “Replace Partition and also destroy my bootloader”. This behavior is extremely aggressive and dangerous to the stability of other OS’s on the system. The CachyOS installer should NEVER modify the bootloader unless the user explicitly chooses to do so. I feel that this is a terrible strike against an otherwise EXCELLENT system. And I remind you that I don’t write this out of divisiveness, but out of the desire for this system to be improved, and make this installation software as good as the working software of CachyOS. Please take a look at improving this aspect of your installation software.

One last thing… I am using REFIND as my bootloader because it’s large graphical interface is much easier to see than the tiny text of grub or limine that I can never see on my huge screen. I use a 65" 4k tv as my monitor, and it sits up on my desk, so the top of the screen is far away from my eyes… ALSO, I have a PERFECTLY GOOD CachyOS structure and file system sitting on a partition with all of my programs, apps and customized options in place, but the EFI bootloader ONLY points to the new freshly loaded OS on another partition and refuses to actually load this fully loaded OS, without going into the Emergency area. PLEASE tell me how I can fix this and get the bootloader to include this viable OS into the boot options, and load it fully into system. I NEED to be able to boot into this partition without having to destroy ANOTHER perfectly good OS. There has to be a way to redirect the bootloader to include all viable and good OS’s on the drive.

Thank you to anyone offering a solution, and for all of your time and assistance with this problem. This is a great OS, with just a few problems in the installation/bootloader methods. I appreciate the work of the CachyOS team, and hope there is a solution to redirect my bootloader to work with working OS’s.

2

Having the bootloader overwritten happens a lot with Debian Linux; there installer is broken still. But I think the CachyOS installer works, but the bootloader section is easy to overlook if you don’t know what to look for and it can cause the problem you’re having.

I think I might know how to help if you’re using GRUB…
Are you using GRUB or Limine?

If you’re using GRUB, you’ll need to edit /etc/default/grub
Inside of grub /etc/default/grub there’s an option:

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=true

or

#GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

You need to change it from either of those to…

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

Be sure that there’s no “#” and no “;” and no “:” before it.
It should start at the beginning of the line.

After you’re done, save your changes.
Secondly, in the terminal/console do an “sudo update-grub”, and then reboot after it’s done.

If the “sudo update-grub” doesn’t work, tell us here and we’ll walk you through it. (Some distro’s don’t have an update-grub command, but there’s an alternative).

P.S.-I don’t know how to use Limine, so I can’t help you with that. Also, which text editor do you use?

3

Just a quick question.

Have you actually done this successfully before?

4

I use these aliases for install_grub and update-grub since they’re not built-in to Cachy (on Bash anyway):

alias install_grub='sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB'
alias update-grub='sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg'

P.S.: if there’s ever an EFI issue, you can always just reinstall the boot manager, provided that you don’t have anything personalized in it (theme, cfg, Windows stuff, backups)

5

Sorry I forgot to add that information to the original post. I’m actually using Refind, because grub and Limine are too tiny on my large monitor. I use a 65" 4k as my computer monitor, and the tiny text of the bootloader way up in the upper lefthand corner of the screen are NEVER easy to see. So I switch to a easy to see and use Refind graphical bootloader. I’ve NEVER had problems with it until now. My system on the P partition is perfectly setup, and has all of the programs and customizations I’m use to, so I don’t want to lose it. I’ve checked that all of the files and folders are there, but I just think that the partition 6 refind_Linux.conf file is screwed up, or the initramfs are broken for partition 6. There has to be a way to generate new files for the current UUID of this partition. At least I’m hoping…

6

limine.conf can be altered to change its display resolution.

timeout: 5
default_entry: 2
remember_last_entry: yes
wallpaper: boot():/splash.jpg
interface_resolution: 2560x1440

[...]

Or whichever you prefer that isn’t the native 4K resolution so that the interface is easier for you to read.

As for Refind, unfortunately can’t help you there. I don’t see too many people use it anymore given that Limine is the CachyOS default and GRUB being as popular as it is. My knowledge is pretty lacking even if I did use it for a short time back before Limine was adopted by CachyOS.

7

I think if it were me, I’d…

  1. install GRUB and try to get a working system for GRUB using info mentioned above (enable OS probing).
  2. do a system backup using TimeShift
  3. try and delete the extra files (if there are any) and reboot
  4. use the TimeShift backup in case it failed
  5. (optional) leave the extra files there and hopefully just use GRUB
  1. (optional) install Limine to use instead of GRUB
  2. (optional) remove the extra files if there are any
  3. REBOOT

Of course, this isn’t a perfect response.
But I have heard that ReFind is troubled which is why I don’t use it. People say also to avoid “grub-customizer”.

8

Hey, thanks so much for the advice, but I FINALLY got it working!!!
After days and days of pulling my hair out and running every command in the book in the terminal, I finally found the line in the Refind.conf file what allows it to search for all systems, and it was set to “false”. So I uncommented it, and set it to true. Then I wrote a manual menuentry at the bottom of that file with the correct icon, UUID, loader, initrd and options entries. Then I saved and exited and it rebooted into my full system on Partition 6. You wouldn’t believe how loudly I screamed when it actually booted into my system!!! Lol. It feels go great getting my system back and all I was working on, and just having a win…

I’m thankful for you and others on here trying to help. I truly appreciate it all.

9

they haven’t.

You should just learn how to use the default BTRFS snapshots.

Timeshift isn’t the normal supported cachy rollback method. You can use it, of course, but you’re responsible for the configuration.

if you select an EFI partition during install, the installer will..unsurprisingly…overwrite the any cachy config on that partition. if you don’t want to do this don’t mount the partition.

just edit the refind config files per the documentation.

You should probably just learn and use use the documented and officially-supported rollback mechanism instead of your cobbled-together solution that you don’t know how to maintain.

10

That’s awesome that you got it [SOLVED]!
Congrats for that. Brainpower to the rescue, 'twas.

11

First point, the NEWEST version of CachyOS DOES have a choice of Refind or Refind with AI in their bootloader section.

Second, the default BTRFS snapshots system has plenty of problems, as I read through many forums and other posts of people having reliability problems with it. So NO, I do not agree with this. Having an entire second OS up and running on another partition has kept me perfect through decades of Windows work, and it’s the better option in Linux as well. So I think you’re wrong here.

“Timeshift isn’t the normal supported cachy rollback method.” What does that mean??? What do you mean normal? MOST people I’ve spoken with in person and on the net who use CachyOS have Timeshift and Pika Backup on their machines. So I think it’s pretty normal. I’m guessing you’re thinking about Limine snapshots, but I do NOT want to use that system, for several other reasons…

I did NOT select partition 1 at all. I CLEARLY stated that I selected ONLY to use partition 4, and NOTHING else!!! I didn’t think that was obscure…

Please explain with detailed specificity what documentation you are referring to???

Your tone and language of my “cobbled-together” system stokes the idea that you’re purposely trying to be negative, condescending and pedantic. So why bother to chime in? I know for fact that you wouldn’t have the gall to do so in a more personal environment, so don’t do it here either. While I’m an extremely agreeable person to most, I seriously have little patience for posers…

12

Yeah, it was a relief to be sure. Your suggestions made me think about several options, and I appreciate that. Cheers~!

13

By the way, your suggestion of reinstalling the boot manager was insightful. I did end up going back and reinstalling Refind, which had to be part of the solution. So thanks for that nugget.

14

Thanks for this suggestion. I might go do some more research on Limine, as its benefits of snapshots right in the bootloader is appealing for sure.

15

You should research what AI/SDK actually means. Notably it very much isn’t

It has nothing at all to do with Refind, actually.

Your self-made system resulted in a system that couldn’t boot and that you didn’t know how to fix.

You’re claiming that MOST users of CachyOS use an app that has been mentioned more by you than by all other foum users combined? I strongly doubt that. And as Cachy also recommends and configures by default on btrfs Snapper (with a subvolume layout that is not timeshift-friendly) I really doubt timeshift as well.

You’ve stated a lot of things but that doesn’t necessarily make them true

My boot config is “cobbled-together” too. It’s not a perjorative. But if you’re coloring outside the lines of what the OS expects you should probably have a certain degree of understanding of the tools you choose instead.

The default rollback mechanism is very well documented and recommended for that reason.

16

MANY things you claim here just aren’t true… However, you are correct in that I’ve NOT researched rEFInd AI/SDK, that is about the ONLY thing you got correct here.

AND my dual boot system did NOT result in a system that I couldn’t boot, as I was always able to boot into one of them or the other. Also, if you had better reading comprehension you’d realize your lies about me not being able to fix it also, as I actually reported right on this thread that I did indeed fix it. So you’re striking out quite a bit so far here…

How do you know how much TimeShift has been mentioned on all the thousands of forums and blog posts around the world??? Oh that’s right, YOU DON’T!!! You are merely speculating, and stating it as if it’s a fact. A common practice by uninformed people trying to push a false idea. I said most people I had spoken with, while you are claiming to know the specific statistics of every forum and blog post on the net. That’s a halfwit-simpleton statement at best, and purely moronic at worst.

Are you accusing me of lying about what installation choices I chose? Because again, to say that to someone you don’t know says much more about you than me… Some people are too stupid to realize just how stupid they are. And while I’m not flat out accusing you of being that person, because I don’t know you either, your statements obviously raise the thought.

Lastly, the OS doesn’t expect anything. It’s a tool for users to use, nothing more. And it is an incontrovertible fact that the masses use tools differently. The tool has no expectations. And I’ve found in all of my vast travels around the globe, that what is an accepted use of a tool in one region is a completely different mindset in another. So for me to use two dual booted instances of CachyOS, one with an EXT4 file system and one with a BTRFS file system, I have a proven method that has served me well for more than a decade. Just because I run into a momentary problem does not detail the entire success story in either direction. Have YOU ever run into a problem you had difficulty fixing??? Of course you have, as most hypocrites have as well. Furthermore, not only do I have an immediate backup if I’m in the middle of work, and need to continue something without any down time, but I get to test the differences in speed and resiliency of each file system, instead of just reading someone else’s opinions about them. The term “personal computer” means just that, it’s personal to each and everyone who uses one. You can customize them to your own liking, and it’s nobody else’s business. Yes, I asked for help when I couldn’t get one of the systems to boot, but that request was not about my philosophy or technological structure moving forward. It was about one specific problem, which I then was able to solve. So it seems that it is YOU who is coloring outside the lines…

My final point to you, as I’ve grown tired and bored of this interaction as it serves no purpose any longer, is that this forum is meant for people to get help and information about their systems. You have NOT provided ANY help at all. In fact, you seem to be the type of person who would stand in front of a stop sign and argue that it’s not red and white. So I’ll offer some help for you. Grow up! Stop looking for reasons to be pedantic to strangers on the net, and maybe find some friends to talk to in real life. I hope this helps you in all of your future endeavors.

17

Glad to hear.

No, I was talking about the other piece of software you mentioned, and I counted.

Obviously Timeshift well-known.

No…

Yup.