Follow what @dalto tells you as you need to deal with the btrfs setup. rEFInd is only a boot manager and launches grub from the icon. That part can be fixed easily by reinstalling rEFInd if necesary after you get the btrfs setup working so it boots into the system properly.
Edit: I have the Btrfs setup on mine with Luks and snapshots with timeshift also but I’m not an expert on Btrfs. I just use it as set up via the wiki.
# cat /etc/default/grub
# GRUB boot loader configuration
GRUB_DEFAULT=0
GRUB_TIMEOUT=5
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR="EndeavourOS"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet cryptdevice=UUID=709702e8-da92-4d9b-8d93-287f311a5a05:luks-709702e8-da92-4d9b-8d93-287f311a5a05 root=/dev/mapper/luks-709702e8-da92-4d9b-8d93-287f311a5a05 loglevel=3 resume_offset=1754961 nowatchdog"
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""
# Preload both GPT and MBR modules so that they are not missed
GRUB_PRELOAD_MODULES="part_gpt part_msdos"
# Uncomment to enable booting from LUKS encrypted devices
#GRUB_ENABLE_CRYPTODISK=y
# Set to 'countdown' or 'hidden' to change timeout behavior,
# press ESC key to display menu.
GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=menu
# Uncomment to use basic console
GRUB_TERMINAL_INPUT=console
# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal
#GRUB_TERMINAL_OUTPUT=console
# The resolution used on graphical terminal
# note that you can use only modes which your graphic card supports via VBE
# you can see them in real GRUB with the command `vbeinfo'
GRUB_GFXMODE=auto
# Uncomment to allow the kernel use the same resolution used by grub
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
# Uncomment if you want GRUB to pass to the Linux kernel the old parameter
# format "root=/dev/xxx" instead of "root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/xxx"
#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true
# Uncomment to disable generation of recovery mode menu entries
GRUB_DISABLE_RECOVERY=true
# Uncomment and set to the desired menu colors. Used by normal and wallpaper
# modes only. Entries specified as foreground/background.
#GRUB_COLOR_NORMAL="light-blue/black"
#GRUB_COLOR_HIGHLIGHT="light-cyan/blue"
# Uncomment one of them for the gfx desired, a image background or a gfxtheme
#GRUB_BACKGROUND="/path/to/wallpaper"
GRUB_THEME=/boot/grub/themes/EndeavourOS/theme.txt
# Uncomment to get a beep at GRUB start
#GRUB_INIT_TUNE="480 440 1"
# Uncomment to make GRUB remember the last selection. This requires
# setting 'GRUB_DEFAULT=saved' above.
#GRUB_SAVEDEFAULT="true"
GRUB_DISABLE_SUBMENU=y
GRUB_ENABLE_CRYPTODISK=y
# lsblk -o name,type,fstype,size,uuid
NAME TYPE FSTYPE SIZE UUID
loop0 loop squashfs 1.7G
sda disk 465.8G
├─sda1 part ntfs 499M A4AC25A5AC25734A
├─sda2 part vfat 100M 1A26-42F7
├─sda3 part 16M
├─sda4 part 88.2G
├─sda5 part vfat 512M 99BB-CD47
└─sda6 part crypto_LUKS 376.5G 709702e8-da92-4d9b-8d93-287f311a5a05
└─crypt crypt btrfs 376.5G 84f7e9e8-2e40-4ad1-a9dd-616306520173
sdb disk iso9660 3.7G 2021-04-17-11-08-44-00
├─sdb1 part iso9660 1.9G 2021-04-17-11-08-44-00
└─sdb2 part vfat 68M 0749-E1B8
i uncommented the grub LUKS entry, and rebooting produce the same (unable to find the snapshot) but forcing the boot on the 4 choice of my bios, HDD: WDC grub decrypted the drive, showed GRUB menu, and i could boot (not sure if uncommenting changed anything, but i’m pretty sure i tried that entry before… but… well… am i?)
It still looks like when i first came back from restoring the first snapshot, all my last installed software are gone, but my last files are there. Which make me wonder if the snapshots worked at all ?
I am afraid to shutdown the computer now ^^
What shall i attempt to tidy up my mess:
am i able to restore a better snapshot than this one (does it exist)?
how to make sure /boot/boot/efi … is at the right spot and well “provisioned” (rebuild initrams?)
are mountpoints missing?
…well, being my level of (in)competence shall i backup and clean install (*@$!!!)
I’m not much help here on Btrfs setup. The output of lsblk -l looks correct me. So you have dual boot Windows 10 with EndeavourOS on the same drive sda. Which partition is windows installed on? sda4? and sda1, sda2, and sda 3 are Windows partitions. Correct? I’m assuming linux is on sda6 with /boot/efi sda5.
So does the rEFInd screen come up now with the Icons?
yes it is windows (don’t even know why i bothered…) on sda1,2,3,4 sda4 being the main.
sda5 and sda6 are linux
i am confused, shall /boot/efi be on sda5 or with windows one on sda2 ?
$ sudo fdisk -l
[sudo] Mot de passe de lmm :
Disque /dev/sda : 465,76 GiB, 500107862016 octets, 976773168 secteurs
Modèle de disque : WDC WDS500G2B0B
Unités : secteur de 1 × 512 = 512 octets
Taille de secteur (logique / physique) : 512 octets / 512 octets
taille d'E/S (minimale / optimale) : 512 octets / 512 octets
Type d'étiquette de disque : gpt
Identifiant de disque : 0AF75A10-2A9A-4A3A-A168-D40F7FCD9E75
Périphérique Début Fin Secteurs Taille Type
/dev/sda1 2048 1023999 1021952 499M Environnement de récupération Windows
/dev/sda2 1024000 1228799 204800 100M Système EFI
/dev/sda3 1228800 1261567 32768 16M Réservé Microsoft
/dev/sda4 1261568 186245119 184983552 88,2G Données de base Microsoft
/dev/sda5 186245120 187293695 1048576 512M Système EFI
/dev/sda6 187293696 976773134 789479439 376,5G Système de fichiers Linux
Disque /dev/mapper/luks-709702e8-da92-4d9b-8d93-287f311a5a05 : 376,45 GiB, 404211375616 octets, 789475343 secteurs
Unités : secteur de 1 × 512 = 512 octets
Taille de secteur (logique / physique) : 512 octets / 512 octets
taille d'E/S (minimale / optimale) : 512 octets / 512 octets
before i messed up that was showing a timeshift/snapshot kind of like in here, which is kind of why i started to bother messing around.
And did i then incorrectly mount /boot/efi, inverting sda2 and sda5, did i then install kernel files where i shouldn’t have, running mkinitcpio when i shouldn’t have ? Kind of followed that but might have messed up even more (DID actually)
I would think it would be sda5 the original windows efi is sda2. I have mine install on a separate ssd and my windows is on an m.2 drive. But the /boot/efi is also on the ssd.
Edit When you install Linux on dual boot you can use the windows efi but i just let it create it’s own on linux. Windows efi is too small in my opinion at 100 mb.
let’s see… (i’m just sad timeshift delete (or does it) snapshots and creates new ones each time i reboot, making it less and less probable to restore a good image if i mess up more (does such an image exist to begin with…)
the 4th entry on the bios boot menu is then the only one that leads to grub menu once entered the passphrase… (was it “working” the whole time or uncommenting #GRUB_ENABLE_CRYPTODISK=y did change something…?
At that point i wonder if i should bother try restoring that hypothetical better snapshop (how does it come that the one we just restored leads to missing programs and updates, it look like one from way earlier),
if i should just try repairing my boot mess (btw, rebooting just now took and incommensurate long time), (would reinstall refind do the trick…?)
i’ll have to sleep on it i guess
thanks so much @ricklinux and @dalto for so much of your time and efforts btw, i can’t express my gratitude enough
I wish i could be more help but @dalto has the knowledge on this. The only good part about it all is even if you don’t end up fixing it which you still could you’ll have learned more doing what you’ve done to get there.
So how do you change it to sda2 then now? On my set up i have Linux on a separate SSD with /boot/efi. I also have a 4 TB hard drive not being used currently and my Windows is on the nvme drive.
[ricklinux@eos-xfce ~]$ lsblk -l
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
sda 8:0 0 465.8G 0 disk
sda1 8:1 0 512M 0 part /boot/efi
sda2 8:2 0 465.3G 0 part
sdb 8:16 0 3.6T 0 disk
sdb1 8:17 0 3.6T 0 part
sr0 11:0 1 1024M 0 rom
luks-a209e59c-bdbd-43ec-a367-17786b03066c 254:0 0 465.3G 0 crypt /var/cache/pacman/pkg
/home
/swap
/
nvme0n1 259:0 0 447.1G 0 disk
nvme0n1p1 259:1 0 529M 0 part
nvme0n1p2 259:2 0 100M 0 part
nvme0n1p3 259:3 0 16M 0 part
nvme0n1p4 259:4 0 446.5G 0 part
[ricklinux@eos-xfce ~]$
So, yes i went back to the Arch wiki here, as well as this (very nice) tutorial, and, indeed, i did mount sda2 (from the windows install) to /boot/efi when i first install (well… i didn’t do nothing actually, i flagged it in gparted and/or calamares i suppose)
So, my bootloaders are still messed up (grub and/or refind), and i don’t understand timeshift. When i “restored” the last knew “good” image, it then vanishes it from the choices, so i “burned” two of those images in the process before i came here begging for help, and then we restored the third “good” one (which clearly isn’t from the date it says it is… why…), and it wasn’t in the choices anymore when i finally succeed to boot it (that i guess is normal behavior), and now that i rebooted (remember i was afraid), all the previous images (auto, manual, all) are gone and some newly created images are there (auto i guess then, one marked "Before restoring ‘2021-07-2019’). That is very unfortunate as i did manually take a snapshot 2 days ago after having done a lot of “work” (and again, the one we restored is suppose to be “after” that point, but clearly it is not). Was timeshift messed up the whole time ? Will it function as it supposed to now ? I wish I knew too…
I dunno where I should start…
Edit: are we agreed that my wonderful snapshots from the past are now forever gone ? they couldn’t have duplicate and hide themself somewhere? mooooahahah… (which is exactly what, even if i end up trusting timeshift and autosnap, I should do on a regular basis… duplicate and hide… you ain’t go no data if you ain’t got no backup, indeed… have to get that hard drive, router and some cables i’m dreaming of, and make myself a sort of nas)