Replace Systemd Boot With GRUB - *Arch Flavour Style*

Replace Systemd Boot With GRUB - Arch Flavour Style 🚀

Recently, I made the switch from Mabox Linux (my reliable companion for years) to CachyOS, another Arch-based distro.

During installation, I accidentally chose systemd-boot instead of GRUB—a rookie mistake. While systemd-boot works fine, my setup includes a separate SSD with Windows 11, and without GRUB, I’d have to hit F12 every time I wanted to switch OSes or do a way more complicated approach to fix my mistake.

The solution? Easy! Replace systemd-boot with GRUB for seamless dual-booting. Let’s get started!

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Step 1: Check Drives and Partitions

First, inspect your drives:

lsblk

Here’s the layout:

• CachyOS is on sdc, with the boot partition on sdc1.
• Windows is on sdb, with its boot partition on sdb1.

To confirm the mount point of the boot partition, run:

lsblk -o NAME,MOUNTPOINT | grep sdc1

Output:

├─sdc1      /boot/efi

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Step 2: Install GRUB and Tools

Install the necessary packages:

sudo pacman -S grub efibootmgr os-prober

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Step 3: Install GRUB

Run the following to install GRUB on the EFI partition:

sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB

If no errors appear, generate the GRUB configuration:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

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Step 4: Enable OS Probing

To ensure GRUB detects Windows, edit the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Locate and uncomment the following line:

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

Save and exit, then regenerate the configuration:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

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Step 5: Verify and Reboot

Run the following to confirm both OSes are detected:

sudo grub-mkconfig

Finally, reboot your system to test your new bootloader. 🎉

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