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Arch Linux System Recovery Guide

This guide assumes you're using an Arch Linux live USB (e.g., archiso).

1. Boot into Arch Linux Live Environment

  1. Insert the Arch Linux live USB
  2. Reboot your system
  3. Enter BIOS/UEFI and set USB as the first boot device
  4. Select "Boot Arch Linux" from the boot menu

2. Identify Partitions

# List all disks and partitions
lsblk -f

Identify:

  • Root partition (e.g., /dev/sda3)
  • Boot partition (e.g., /dev/sda1)
  • LVM/LUKS volumes (if used)

3. Mount Partitions

For standard setups

# Create mount points
sudo mkdir -p /mnt /mnt/boot

# Mount partitions
sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt       # Root partition
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot  # Boot partition

For LVM setups

sudo vgchange -ay <VG_name>     # Activate volume group
sudo mount /dev/<VG_name>/root /mnt

For LUKS setups

sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda3 cryptroot
sudo mount /dev/mapper/cryptroot /mnt

4. Mount Essential Filesystems

mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
mount -o bind /proc /mnt/proc
mount -o bind /sys /mnt/sys
mount -o bind /run /mnt/run

5. Chroot into the System

arch-chroot /mnt

6. Perform Recovery Operations

A. Update System (if package sync issue)

pacman -Syu --noconfirm

B. Regenerate initramfs

mkinitcpio -P

C. Reinstall Bootloader (if needed)

For GRUB

grub-install /dev/sda
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

For systemd-boot

bootctl install

D. Check fstab (backup first)

cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak
nano /etc/fstab

Verify partition UUIDs with blkid.

E. Check for failed units

systemctl --failed
journalctl -xb

F. Fix corrupted packages

pacman -Syy
pacman -Qkq | pacman -Rns --noconfirm -
pacman -S --needed --noconfirm $(pacman -Qkq)

7. Exit Chroot and Unmount

exit  # Exit chroot

Unmount partitions:

umount -R /mnt

For LUKS setups:

cryptsetup luksClose cryptroot

8. Reboot

reboot

9. Post-Recovery Checks

  1. Boot into your Arch system

  2. Check system status:

    systemctl --failed
journalctl -xb

  3. Verify all services are running:

    systemctl status

Troubleshooting Tips

  1. If you get "mount: /dev not found" - use modprobe for required filesystem modules
  2. For LVM issues: vgscan and vgchange -ay <VG_name>
  3. For LUKS issues: Verify password and keyslot with cryptsetup luksDump
  4. If chroot fails: Ensure all required partitions are mounted