I recently set up CachyOS as a dual boot option and experienced a frustrating situation. After not touching the Linux installation for a couple of days, I was surprised to boot into emergency mode. The last time it worked fine, right after I installed Steam, CS2, and did some customization. But now, I had to search through my btrfs snapshots to find one that would boot. My NTFS disk was unmounted, and it seems like I'd have to reinstall Steam since the program icon was there on the desktop, but the application was missing. I wonder if I messed up during the installation or if this is normal for an Arch-based system. Is frequent emergency mode a typical issue for newcomers, or is it just a problem with CachyOS?
3 Answers
You might find that NTFS isn't the best for Linux systems. It's usually reserved for shared drives rather than where you would install applications like Steam. If that's your main storage, consider switching to ext4 or btrfs for better compatibility. Also, ensure you check your disk layout with the outputs from `mount` and `fstab` to see how everything is set up. If there were any kernel updates or changes to your boot setup, it could cause issues with booting from your snapshots.
Remember that while dual-booting is tricky sometimes, it can be worthwhile once you figure it out!
Honestly, CachyOS isn't the best choice for new users. When you found a btrfs snapshot that worked, it didn't have newer entries in the fstab, which could explain why your NTFS drive was unmounted. You might want to look into creating automatic backups with Timeshift or Snapper. That way, if something goes wrong again, you can easily restore your system without all the hassle.
I see what you're saying. So, the unmounted drive issue is likely a result of using an old snapshot. I guess I should set up backup tools to prevent this in the future.
Make sure you understand how to use those backup tools, as they can save your skin when things go south.
If you provide the logs, it would be easier to diagnose what went wrong. You mentioned seeing an error with something called e820 and memory issues. That’s often related to hardware compatibility or kernel issues after an update. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on those logs for future troubleshooting.
I did see that error message! Can I still access the logs if I boot from a working snapshot?
Yes, you should be able to access them! Just look at `journalctl -xb` for the logs when you’re back in a working environment.
I need the NTFS for sharing files between Windows and Linux. I'll check my fstab when I can get back to my setup. Good to know a kernel update isn't as terrifying as I thought!