Troubleshooting - buggerman/re-arch GitHub Wiki

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RE-ARCH Troubleshooting

Comprehensive solutions for common issues encountered during RE-ARCH installation and usage.

🔍 Advanced Troubleshooting Matrix

Issue Category Symptoms Diagnostic Commands Solutions
Boot Failure Black screen, no GRUB menu lsblk, efibootmgr -v, fdisk -l GRUB reinstall, EFI repair, check boot order
Display Issues No desktop after login journalctl -u sddm -u gdm -u lightdm, systemctl status display-manager Driver issues, service problems, X11 fallback
Audio Problems No sound output pactl list sinks, systemctl --user status pipewire PipeWire restart, device selection, permissions
Network Failure No connectivity ip addr, systemctl status NetworkManager, nmcli dev status Driver issues, service restart, WiFi setup
Package Errors Install/update failures pacman -Syu, pacman -Qdt, paccache -r Mirror update, orphan cleanup, cache clear
Snapshot Issues Boot/rollback problems snapper list, grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg Snapshot repair, GRUB regeneration

🚨 Installation Issues

archinstall Fails

Common Symptoms:

  • Package download failures
  • Network connectivity issues
  • Disk partitioning errors
  • Configuration validation failures

Solutions:

  1. Check Internet Connection:

    ping -c 3 google.com
ping -c 3 archlinux.org

  2. Update System Clock:

    timedatectl set-ntp true

  3. Refresh Package Database:

    pacman -Sy

  4. Check Disk Space:

    lsblk
df -h

  5. Verify Disk Device:

    lsblk
fdisk -l
# Update config if your disk isn't /dev/sda

  6. Try Alternative URLs:

    # If GitHub is blocked
archinstall --config-url https://re-arch.xyz/config-kde.json --creds-url https://re-arch.xyz/creds.json

re-arch-lite.sh Fails

Common Symptoms:

  • Service enablement failures
  • Package installation errors
  • Permission issues
  • Configuration failures

Solutions:

  1. Verify You're in Chroot:

    # You should see (chroot) in prompt
ls /mnt  # Should show your root filesystem

  2. Check Internet in Chroot:

    ping -c 3 google.com

  3. Verify User Account:

    cat /etc/passwd | grep -v root
# Should show your user account

  4. Manual Service Check:

    systemctl status sddm.service
systemctl status gdm.service
systemctl status lightdm.service

  5. Check for Missing Packages:

    pacman -Q | grep -E "(sddm|gdm|lightdm)"

🚨 Boot Issues

System Won't Boot

Symptoms:

  • Black screen after GRUB
  • Boot loops
  • Emergency shell
  • No display manager

Solutions:

  1. Boot from Arch ISO and Check Logs:

    # Mount your system
mount /dev/sdXY /mnt  # Replace with your root partition
mount /dev/sdXZ /mnt/boot  # Replace with your boot partition

# Check logs
arch-chroot /mnt
journalctl -b -1  # Previous boot logs

  2. Verify Boot Configuration:

    # Check GRUB config
cat /boot/grub/grub.cfg | grep -A 5 -B 5 "Arch Linux"

# Regenerate GRUB config
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

  3. Check Display Manager:

    systemctl status sddm.service
systemctl status gdm.service
systemctl status lightdm.service

# Enable correct display manager
systemctl enable sddm.service  # For KDE
systemctl enable gdm.service   # For GNOME
systemctl enable lightdm.service  # For XFCE/Hyprland

Boot to Emergency Shell

Solutions:

  1. Check Root Filesystem:

    fsck /dev/sdXY  # Replace with your root partition

  2. Mount Root and Continue Boot:

    mount /dev/sdXY /sysroot
exit

  3. Check for Btrfs Issues:

    btrfs filesystem show
btrfs filesystem check /dev/sdXY

🚨 Desktop Environment Issues

Login Screen Won't Appear

Solutions:

  1. Check Display Manager Status:

    systemctl status sddm.service
systemctl status gdm.service
systemctl status lightdm.service

  2. Restart Display Manager:

    systemctl restart sddm.service  # Or gdm/lightdm

  3. Check Graphics Drivers:

    lspci | grep -i vga
pacman -Q | grep -i mesa

Desktop Won't Load After Login

Solutions:

  1. Check Desktop Environment Installation:

    # For KDE
pacman -Q | grep plasma

# For GNOME
pacman -Q | grep gnome

# For XFCE
pacman -Q | grep xfce

# For Hyprland
pacman -Q | grep hyprland

  2. Try Different Session:

    • Select different session type at login screen
    • Try X11 instead of Wayland or vice versa

  3. Check User Permissions:

    groups username  # Should include necessary groups

Audio Not Working

Solutions:

  1. Check PipeWire Status:

    systemctl --user status pipewire.service
systemctl --user status pipewire-pulse.service

  2. Restart Audio Services:

    systemctl --user restart pipewire.service
systemctl --user restart pipewire-pulse.service

  3. Check Audio Devices:

    pactl list short sinks
pactl list short sources

🚨 Package Management Issues

Flatpak Not Working

Solutions:

  1. Check Flatpak Installation:

    flatpak --version
flatpak remote-list

  2. Add Flathub Repository:

    flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

  3. Update Flatpak:

    flatpak update

AUR Helper Issues

Solutions:

  1. Install paru Manually:

    # Install base-devel if missing
sudo pacman -S base-devel

# Clone and build paru
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git
cd paru
makepkg -si

  2. Check Build Dependencies:

    sudo pacman -S base-devel git

🚨 System Recovery

Boot from Snapshot

If system is broken, use snapshot recovery:

  1. Boot from GRUB Snapshot Menu:

    • Select "Arch Linux snapshots" in GRUB
    • Choose a working snapshot
    • Boot from it

  2. Make Snapshot Default:

    # After booting from snapshot
sudo snapper rollback
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Complete System Recovery

If snapshots don't work:

  1. Boot from Arch ISO:

    # Mount your system
mount /dev/sdXY /mnt
mount /dev/sdXZ /mnt/boot

# Enter chroot
arch-chroot /mnt

# Re-run optimization
curl -fsSL https://re-arch.xyz/re-arch-lite.sh | bash

  2. Reinstall Desktop Environment:

    # For KDE
sudo pacman -S plasma-desktop sddm

# For GNOME
sudo pacman -S gnome-shell gdm

# For XFCE
sudo pacman -S xfce4 lightdm

# For Hyprland
sudo pacman -S hyprland lightdm

🚨 Network Issues

No Internet After Installation

Solutions:

  1. Check Network Manager:

    systemctl status NetworkManager
systemctl enable NetworkManager
systemctl start NetworkManager

  2. Connect to WiFi:

    nmcli device wifi connect "NetworkName" password "password"

  3. Check DNS Resolution:

    cat /etc/resolv.conf
ping -c 3 8.8.8.8

📞 Getting Additional Help

If these solutions don't work:

  1. Check System Logs:

    journalctl -b    # Current boot
journalctl -b -1 # Previous boot
journalctl -u servicename  # Specific service

  2. Create Support Request:

  3. Community Resources:

  4. Essential Debug Information:

    # Include this info in support requests
uname -a
lsb_release -a
systemctl --failed
journalctl -p err -b

For installation steps, see the Installation Guide.