EXT4 to BTRFS.md

References

• https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Btrfs#Ext3/4_to_Btrfs_conversion

Step 1: Identify Your Drive Type

1. Boot into the EndeavourOS live environment.

2. Open a terminal and run the following command to list all drives:

   lsblk -o NAME,FSTYPE,SIZE,MOUNTPOINT

   • Drives will appear as sdXn (e.g., /dev/sda1) for SATA drives or nvmeXn (e.g., /dev/nvme0n1p1) for NVMe SSDs.
   • Identify the partition where your root (/) filesystem resides.

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Step 2: Convert EXT4 to Btrfs

1. Convert the root (/) partition from EXT4 to Btrfs using the following command:

   sudo btrfs-convert /dev/sdXn

   Replace /dev/sdXn with your root partition, e.g., /dev/sda1 or /dev/nvme0n1p1.

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Step 3: Create a New Home Subvolume

1. Mount the converted Btrfs partition:

   sudo mount /dev/sdXn /mnt

2. Create the @home subvolume:

   sudo btrfs subvolume create /mnt/@home

3. Move your existing /home data to the new subvolume using rsync:

   cd /mnt/home
   sudo rsync -ar --link-dest=. ./ /mnt/@home/

   This command ensures that all files from /home are moved to the @home subvolume.

4. Verify that all files have been copied correctly:

   ls /mnt/@home

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Step 4: Clean Up the Old Filesystem

1. Change to the mount point and remove everything except the @home subvolume:

   cd /mnt
   ls -la
   sudo rm -rf bin boot dev etc lib lib64 media mnt opt proc root run sbin srv sys tmp usr var home
   ls -la

2. Remove the old ext2_saved subvolume created by the conversion process:

   sudo btrfs subvolume delete /mnt/ext2_saved

3. Unmount the partition:

   sudo umount /mnt

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Step 5: Install EndeavourOS

1. Launch the EndeavourOS installer and start the installation process.
2. When you reach the partitioning step, select the existing Btrfs partition.
3. Choose manual partitioning and assign subvolumes:
   • / (new subvolume, @)
   • /home (use the existing @home subvolume)
4. Continue with the installation as normal.