this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2025
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[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The instructions for Windows work just as well on Linux, to be fair.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago

Preposterous, my lucky socks never failed me.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

The real "scorched earth" strategy:

  1. Format system drive
  2. Reinstall Arch
  3. Keep all your files on the data drive
  4. Run your personal setup script to put everything back how you like it
  5. (Optional) Be happy

Edit: forgor 6. Tell everyone you use Arch

[–] [email protected] 12 points 23 hours ago
  1. Install Debian
  2. Experience stability.
  3. No, really. It's very stable.
  4. Spend years growing old with the same packages.
  5. Accept your fate.
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If you're at the level of having a personal setup script, you should be able to solve just about any problem on Arch without reinstalling.

Source: Been doing it for 10 years now, not a single reinstall.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

that just sounds like nixos impermanence with extra steps

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

repeatedly, and put it in your bio "I use Arch, btw!"

[–] [email protected] 9 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Reboot, click the previous generation on the grub screen.

Babey I couldnt get enough of nixos if I lived a million years

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

This works with immutable distros as well! Still, kudos to the Nix users

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

or just load the previous root filesystem snapshot. Btrfs works fine.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 day ago

I decided to break out of this cursed circle. I installed TempleOS

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can confirm. This is exactly how it works. I use Mint, BTW.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

Me too! *Extends hand for high five

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Keep your files in "My Documents" (and any other default media folders like movies and pictures; or on a separate drive) and you won't lose shit other than installed programs when you re-install Windows.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 23 hours ago

Same goes for linux if you have /home on a separate partition/disk. That saved my ass more times than i am willing to admit...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Jokes on you! My servers are passively cooled!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I've learned through years it's best to just wipe entire OS partition (it's smart to have a dedicated one with user files on separate one, you can even quickly relocate Documents folders) and just reinstall clean. It's usually faster and more reliable than troubleshooting for hours with no guaranteed fix.