For some reason, my laptop isn't booting up to the welcome screen: Is it better/safer for a novice to try to run a boot repair or is it better to restore a timeshift? I get warns on both options.
Can you run the Boot Info report from Boot-Repair and post the link it gives? If not exactly what errors are you getting?
UEFI boot install & repair info - Regularly Updated : https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295 Please use Thread Tools above first post to change to [Solved] when/if answered completely.
I would agree with the suggestion in post 2. Do not try to do any repair. It would have been useful for you to post whatever warnings you get so members here are familiar with boot problems would have something to base suggestions on.
timeshift if you have it. I'm confused. Why is this a question? I assume you are using back-in-time for your HOME data, like Mint suggests as well. Restore the last timeshift point you have, then restore the HOME stuff from an hour before the issue started. That's sorta the entire point of using those tools. What's the point if you don't actually use them?
Ubuntu Forums Code of Conduct