[SOLVED] Will Restoring with Timeshift affect my new VirtualBox Machines?

[know222]

Newbie here using Mint XFCE for about a month now. If I use Timeshift to restore to a snapshot from 3 weeks ago, before I had created and setup my current VirtualBox machines, will it affect my new VirtualBox virtual machines? They are located on my separate /home partition.

And when I go to do the restore I get a "select target device" window with /, /boot, and /home as options. I don't see a way to deselect my home partition from the restore? Should I leave the default setting with all three of those included in the restore?

My goal is to restore my system to the older state and get rid off all new applications and configuration changes installed or made since then - but without it affecting my VirtualBox machines or other downloaded files, etc.

Can I just run the restore with default options without worrying about my new virtual machines and downloaded files?

I did search and didn't find the answers I'm looking for.

Thanks

[gm10]

If you left Timeshift at its default settings (in particular you didn't remove the exclusion filter for your home directory) then the VMs stored in your home directory won't get touched. If the virtualbox application wasn't installed yet at the time of your snapshot you'll have to reinstall that one, of course.

[know222]

Thanks for the info and fast response. Timeshift came already installed on XFCE 19 and I don't remember changing any settings other than scheduling snapshots.

Looking at my Timeshift settings now, under settings - filters it looks like both my root and home directories are excluded. Nothing is selected under the plus side with root and home under the minus side which I'm assuming is excluded. I would have thought root should have been included? Is this normal?

I also thought about reinstalling XFCE fresh, without it affecting my home partition, I'm unfamiliar with how to do that that too, but it's either restore with Timeshift or reinstall XFCE fresh. I need to learn both methods but I don't want to lose my virtual boxes in the trial and error, and don't have a lot of external space to back things up to at the moment.

Timeshift vs fresh install?

[gm10]

I would have thought root should have been included? Is this normal?

/root is not the same thing as the / root directory. /root is the actual root user's home directory, that's why it's excluded. So you'll be fine.

[know222]

Thank you. Newbie here, I was thinking it was the / root directory. I do remember reading what you are saying, but had forgotten. I am going to go for it I think. If I lost the virtual machines it would be a lot of work to get them back. I have some external drive backups of the individual virtual machines but I want to avoid as much work and as many complications, reactivations, etc, as possible.

[know222]

Worked well. I did reinstall VirtualBox and had to make a few adjustments. Thanks.