diff --git a/usr/share/rear/conf/default.conf b/usr/share/rear/conf/default.conf
index e9bc6a2548..185bb5283b 100644
--- a/usr/share/rear/conf/default.conf
+++ b/usr/share/rear/conf/default.conf
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ USB_FILES=()
 # In contrast when USB_SUFFIX is set, backup on USB works in compliance with how backup on NFS works
 # (i.e. BACKUP_URL=usb:... and BACKUP_URL=nfs:... behave compatible when USB_SUFFIX is set)
 # which means a fixed backup directory of the form rear/HOSTNAME/USB_SUFFIX on the USB medium
-# and no automated removal of backups or other stuff (regardless of USB_RETAIN_BACKUP_NR)
+# and no automated removal of backups or other files (regardless of USB_RETAIN_BACKUP_NR)
 # see https://github.com/rear/rear/issues/1164
 # Using multiple backups as described in doc/user-guide/11-multiple-backups.adoc
 # requires a fixed backup directory so that USB_SUFFIX must be set for multiple backups on USB
@@ -374,9 +374,8 @@ USB_FILES=()
 USB_SUFFIX=""
 
 # Number of older rescue environments or backups to retain on USB.
-# The default USB_RETAIN_BACKUP_NR=2 means that there is at most
-# the latest (current) rescue environment or backup plus
-# the second eldest and the third eldest (three all together):
+# What is more than USB_RETAIN_BACKUP_NR gets automatically removed.
+# This setting is ignored when USB_SUFFIX is set (see above).
 USB_RETAIN_BACKUP_NR=2
 
 # Define the default WORKFLOW for the udev handler (empty to disable)
diff --git a/usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh b/usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
index 017b72409b..fed8f5243c 100644
--- a/usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
+++ b/usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
@@ -36,11 +36,27 @@ local backup_directory=$BUILD_DIR/outputfs/$NETFS_PREFIX
 
 # Normal (i.e. non-incremental/non-differential) backup:
 if ! test "incremental" = "$BACKUP_TYPE" -o "differential" = "$BACKUP_TYPE" ; then
-    backuparchive="$backup_directory/$backup_file_name"
     # In case of normal (i.e. non-incremental) backup there is only one restore archive
     # and its name is the same as the backup archive (usually 'backup.tar.gz'):
-    RESTORE_ARCHIVES=( "$backuparchive" )
-    LogPrint "Using backup archive '$backup_file_name'"
+    backuparchive="$backup_directory/$backup_file_name"
+    LogPrint "Using backup archive '$backuparchive'"
+    # This script is also run during "rear recover/restoreonly" where RESTORE_ARCHIVES must be set.
+    local backup_restore_workflows=( "recover" "restoreonly" )
+    if IsInArray $WORKFLOW ${backup_restore_workflows[@]} ; then
+        # Only set RESTORE_ARCHIVES the backup archive is actually accessible
+        # cf. https://github.com/rear/rear/issues/1166
+        if test -r "$backuparchive" ; then
+            RESTORE_ARCHIVES=( "$backuparchive" )
+        else
+            # In case of USB backup there is the subsequent 540_choose_backup_archive.sh script
+            # that shows a backup selection dialog when RESTORE_ARCHIVES is not already set.
+            if test "usb" = "$scheme" ; then
+                LogPrint "Backup archive '$backuparchive' not readable. Need to select another one."
+            else
+                Error "Backup archive '$backuparchive' not readable."
+            fi
+        fi
+    fi
     return
 fi
 
@@ -137,7 +153,8 @@ local date_time_glob_regex="$date_glob_regex-[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]"
 local create_backup_type=""
 # Code regarding creating a backup is useless during "rear recover" and
 # messages about creating a backup are misleading during "rear recover":
-if ! test "recover" = "$WORKFLOW" ; then
+local recovery_workflows=( "recover" "layoutonly" "restoreonly" )
+if ! IsInArray $WORKFLOW ${recovery_workflows[@]} ; then
     # When today is a specified full backup day, do a full backup in any case
     # (regardless if there is already a full backup of this day):
     if IsInArray "$current_weekday" "${FULLBACKUPDAY[@]}" ; then
@@ -161,7 +178,7 @@ if test "$latest_full_backup" ; then
     local full_or_incremental_backup_glob_regex="$date_time_glob_regex-[$full_backup_marker$incremental_backup_marker]$backup_file_suffix"
     # Code regarding creating a backup is useless during "rear recover" and
     # messages about creating a backup are misleading during "rear recover":
-    if ! test "recover" = "$WORKFLOW" ; then
+    if ! IsInArray $WORKFLOW ${recovery_workflows[@]} ; then
         # There is nothing to do here if it is already decided that
         # a full backup must be created (see "full backup day" above"):
         if ! test "full" = "$create_backup_type" ; then
@@ -215,7 +232,7 @@ if test "$latest_full_backup" ; then
 else
     # Code regarding creating a backup is useless during "rear recover" and
     # messages about creating a backup are misleading during "rear recover":
-    if ! test "recover" = "$WORKFLOW" ; then
+    if ! IsInArray $WORKFLOW ${recovery_workflows[@]} ; then
         # If no latest full backup is found create one during "rear mkbackup":
         create_backup_type="full"
         LogPrint "No full backup found (YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM-F.tar.gz) triggers full backup"
@@ -235,7 +252,7 @@ else
 fi
 # Code regarding creating a backup is useless during "rear recover" and
 # messages about creating a backup are misleading during "rear recover":
-if ! test "recover" = "$WORKFLOW" ; then
+if ! IsInArray $WORKFLOW ${recovery_workflows[@]} ; then
     # Set the right variables for creating a backup (but do not actually do anything at this point):
     case "$create_backup_type" in
         (full)
diff --git a/usr/share/rear/verify/USB/NETFS/default/540_choose_backup_archive.sh b/usr/share/rear/verify/USB/NETFS/default/540_choose_backup_archive.sh
index c9ef2e3d00..e7ee7c06da 100644
--- a/usr/share/rear/verify/USB/NETFS/default/540_choose_backup_archive.sh
+++ b/usr/share/rear/verify/USB/NETFS/default/540_choose_backup_archive.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 
-# In case of backup on USB let the user choose which backup will be restored.
+# In case of backup restore from USB let the user choose which backup will be restored.
+# This script is only run during a backup restore workflow (recover/restoreoly)
+# so that RESTORE_ARCHIVES is set in this script.
 
 scheme=$( url_scheme "$BACKUP_URL" )
 # Skip if not backup on USB:
@@ -9,44 +11,85 @@ test "usb" = "$scheme" || return
 # backup on USB works in compliance with backup on NFS which means
 # a fixed backup directory where the user cannot choose the backup
 # because what there is in the fixed backup directory will be restored
-# via RESTORE_ARCHIVES in usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
+# via RESTORE_ARCHIVES set by usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
 # Use plain $USB_SUFFIX and not "$USB_SUFFIX" because when USB_SUFFIX contains only blanks
 # test "$USB_SUFFIX" would result true because test " " results true:
 test $USB_SUFFIX && return
 
+# When backup on USB works in its default mode with several timestamp backup directories
+# let the user choose the backup regardless whether or not RESTORE_ARCHIVES
+# is already set by usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
+# because when the user has created a backup plus recovery system via "rear mkbackup"
+# and afterwards a newer backup without recovery system via "rear mkbackuponly"
+# then the recovery system directory contains the (older) backup and that one gets
+# set in RESTORE_ARCHIVES by usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
+# but probably the user wants to choose the newer backup to be actually restored.
+
 # Detect all backups on the USB device.
-# FIXME: This fails when the backup archive name is not
+# TODO: This fails when the backup archive name is not
 # ${BACKUP_PROG_ARCHIVE}${BACKUP_PROG_SUFFIX}${BACKUP_PROG_COMPRESS_SUFFIX}
 # so that in particular it fails for incremental/differential backups
 # but incremental/differential backups usually require several backup archives
 # to be restored (one full backup plus one differential or several incremental backups)
 # cf. RESTORE_ARCHIVES in usr/share/rear/prep/NETFS/default/070_set_backup_archive.sh
-# and the code below only works for one single backup archive:
+# and the backup selection code below only works to select one single backup archive:
 backups=()
 backup_times=()
-for rear_run in $BUILD_DIR/outputfs/rear/$HOSTNAME/* ;do
-    Debug "Relax-and-Recover run $rear_run detected."
+for rear_run in $BUILD_DIR/outputfs/rear/$HOSTNAME/* ; do
+    Debug "Relax-and-Recover run '$rear_run' detected."
     backup_name=$rear_run/${BACKUP_PROG_ARCHIVE}${BACKUP_PROG_SUFFIX}${BACKUP_PROG_COMPRESS_SUFFIX}
-    if [ -e $backup_name ] ; then
-        Debug "Relax-and-Recover backup $backup_name detected."
-        backups=( "${backups[@]}" "$backup_name")
-        backup_times=( "${backup_times[@]}" "${rear_run##*/}")
+    if test -r "$backup_name" ; then
+        LogPrint "Backup archive $backup_name detected."
+        backups=( "${backups[@]}" "$backup_name" )
+        backup_times=( "${backup_times[@]}" "${rear_run##*/}" )
     fi
 done
 
-# The user has to choose the backup
+# When there is no backup archive detected error out because in this case
+# it does not make sense to show a basically empty backup selection dialog
+# (strictly speaking a backup selection dialog with the only choice 'Abort').
+# For the 'test' one must have all array members as a single word i.e. "${name[*]}"
+# because it should succeed when there is any non-empty array member, not necessarily the first one:
+test "${backups[*]}" || Error "No '${BACKUP_PROG_ARCHIVE}${BACKUP_PROG_SUFFIX}${BACKUP_PROG_COMPRESS_SUFFIX}' detected in '$BUILD_DIR/outputfs/rear/$HOSTNAME/*'"
+
+# When there is only one backup archive detected use that and do not disrupt
+# "rear recover" or "rear restoreonly" with a backup selection dialog
+# because what else could the user chose except that one backup
+# (it is questionable why there is an 'Abort' choice below):
+if test "1" = "${#backups[@]}" ; then
+    backuparchive=${backups[0]}
+    RESTORE_ARCHIVES=( "$backuparchive" )
+    LogPrint "Using backup archive '$backuparchive'."
+    return
+fi
+
+# Let the user choose the backup that should be restored:
 LogPrint "Select a backup archive."
-select choice in "${backup_times[@]}" "Abort"; do
-    [ "$choice" != "Abort" ]
-    StopIfError "User chose to abort recovery."
-    n=( $REPLY ) # trim blanks from reply
-    let n-- # because bash arrays count from 0
+# Disable printing commands and their arguments as they are executed on stderr
+# which could have been enabled when running e.g. "rear -d -D recover"
+# to not disturb the select output which also happens on stderr.
+# When 'set -x' is set even calling 'set +x 2>/dev/null' would output '+ set +x' but
+# http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13195655/bash-set-x-without-it-being-printed
+# shows that when 'set -x' is set calling '{ set +x ; } 2>/dev/null' runs silently:
+{ set +x ; } 2>/dev/null
+select choice in "${backup_times[@]}" "Abort" ; do
+    test "Abort" = "$choice" && Error "User chose to abort recovery."
+    # trim blanks from reply
+    n=( $REPLY )
+    # bash arrays count from 0
+    let n--
     if [ "$n" -lt 0 ] || [ "$n" -ge "${#backup_times[@]}" ] ; then
-        LogPrint "Invalid choice $REPLY, please try again or abort."
+        # direct output to stdout which is fd7 (see lib/_input-output-functions.sh)
+        # and not using a Print function to always print to the original stdout
+        # i.e. to the terminal wherefrom the user has started "rear recover":
+        echo "Invalid choice $REPLY, try again or abort." >&7
         continue
     fi
-    LogPrint "Backup archive ${backups[$n]} chosen."
     backuparchive=${backups[$n]}
     break
-done 2>&1
+done 2>&7
+# Go back from "set +x" to the defaults:
+apply_bash_flags_and_options_commands "$DEFAULT_BASH_FLAGS_AND_OPTIONS_COMMANDS"
+RESTORE_ARCHIVES=( "$backuparchive" )
+LogPrint "Using backup archive '$backuparchive'."