# Grub-install error when following "Btrfs system snapshots" guide

**URL:** <https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723>\
**Category:** Issues & Assistance\
**Created:** [May 22, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723 "2022-05-22T14:08:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![phoeniqz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dbc845/32.png) [@phoeniqz](https://rebornos.discourse.group/u/phoeniqz)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723/1 "2022-05-22T14:08:45Z")

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I did all the steps from the guide [Btrfs system snapshots and rollbacks with Timeshift](https://de.osdn.net/projects/rebornos/wiki/Btrfs+system+snapshots+and+rollbacks+with+Timeshift), but when I chroot in the new system to do the `grub-install` I get following error:

```
Installing for i386-pc platform.
grub-install: error: install device isn't specified.
```

How can I do this grub-install?

I’m using the system with Legacy Boot.

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**Author:** ![shivanandvp](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/rebornos.discourse.group/shivanandvp/32/10_2.png) [@shivanandvp](https://rebornos.discourse.group/u/shivanandvp)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723/2 "2022-05-22T14:19:04Z")

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Hi @phoeniqz 🙂,

Do you know which device you are installing the bootloader on? (they are usually named like sda, sdb, nvmexyz etc.). You may open `gparted` to figure out which device it is.

For example, if you find that you want to install the bootloader on `sda`, use

```auto
sudo grub-install /dev/sda

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![phoeniqz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dbc845/32.png) [@phoeniqz](https://rebornos.discourse.group/u/phoeniqz)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 2:43pm UTC](https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723/3 "2022-05-22T14:43:55Z")

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I have only `sda` with the partition `sda1`. Should I install it on the partition or on the device itself?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![shivanandvp](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/rebornos.discourse.group/shivanandvp/32/10_2.png) [@shivanandvp](https://rebornos.discourse.group/u/shivanandvp)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://rebornos.discourse.group/t/grub-install-error-when-following-btrfs-system-snapshots-guide/723/4 "2022-05-22T17:18:45Z")

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The bootloader installs itself at the beginning of the device. The program wants the device, not the partition.