Linux - Fedora WS Boot Options

[BestPCBuilder2017]

So I'm not a heavy Linux user and I'm having some annoying issues trying to get Fedora working with my single drive legacy multi-booting testing setup. I was wondering if there's a way that I can change the installation method for how Fedora boots and/or where the booting bit is installed to. 

[pipnina]

3 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

So I'm not a heavy Linux user and I'm having some annoying issues trying to get Fedora working with my single drive legacy multi-booting testing setup. I was wondering if there's a way that I can change the installation method for how Fedora boots and/or where the booting bit is installed to. 

I think it merges the windows boot manager partition with GRUB. I haven't had much success removing Linux from computers it's been installed on in the past without reinstalling windows as well, although I'm sure it is possible.

Best option IMO and AFAIK is to have a 2nd drive. Though if GRUB only has one option to boot to (i.e. windows) it should just boot into that directly?

 

It should be in the installer as to how your partitions are laid out. I only have experience with Debian based distros so can't be of much help to a Fedora user.

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, pipnina said:

I think it merges the windows boot manager partition with GRUB. I haven't had much success removing Linux from computers it's been installed on in the past without reinstalling windows as well, although I'm sure it is possible.

Best option IMO and AFAIK is to have a 2nd drive. Though if GRUB only has one option to boot to (i.e. windows) it should just boot into that directly?

 

It should be in the installer as to how your partitions are laid out. I only have experience with Debian based distros so can't be of much help to a Fedora user.

Is there a way to install it not to GRUB then? Because I don't want it associating with Windows, I just want it on its own. I also need to fix this weird "full disk boot" thing. Hoping I can install it to the Linux partition or next to it or something. 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

@Electronics Wizardy maybe?

[dmaes]

TL;DR  no dual bootloaders on 1 disk, so no way not associating it with Windows

 

The fedora installer should detect windows and give you the option to install itself next to the windows partition.

I think you can tell the installer not to install GRUB, but I don't know if the Windows bootloader will detect Fedora. If I remember correctly, you can only have 1 bootloader on a single disk, because it's in the first x bytes and your BIOS will be looking in those first x bytes after a bootloader to start. So if the windows bootloader can't detect Fedora, you will have to use GRUB instead of the windows bootloader. GRUB will then give you the option to boot in either Windows or Fedora

[BestPCBuilder2017]

8 hours ago, 101dmrs said:

TL;DR  no dual bootloaders on 1 disk, so no way not associating it with Windows

 

The fedora installer should detect windows and give you the option to install itself next to the windows partition.

I think you can tell the installer not to install GRUB, but I don't know if the Windows bootloader will detect Fedora. If I remember correctly, you can only have 1 bootloader on a single disk, because it's in the first x bytes and your BIOS will be looking in those first x bytes after a bootloader to start. So if the windows bootloader can't detect Fedora, you will have to use GRUB instead of the windows bootloader. GRUB will then give you the option to boot in either Windows or Fedora

It detects the free space but it's not like Ubuntu where it gives the option to install "along side Windows"

 

I'm fine with the Windows bootloader not being able to detect Fedora. Do you know how to install it not to GRUB? 

 

How would I use/install GRUB over the Windows bootloader? 

[dmaes]

22 hours ago, NCIX Lampy said:

It detects the free space but it's not like Ubuntu where it gives the option to install "along side Windows"

Manually partitioning and being careful/double check

 

22 hours ago, NCIX Lampy said:

I'm fine with the Windows bootloader not being able to detect Fedora. Do you know how to install it not to GRUB? 

 

How would I use/install GRUB over the Windows bootloader? 

If the windows bootloader doesn't detect Fedora (also meaning you don't have grub, because no dual bootloaders on 1 drive), you can't boot into Fedora

Normally when installing Fedora, it will ask to install GRUB on the Master Boot Record. If you accept, it will just override the windows bootloader.

At first boot, grub may give you only 1 OS to boot into (Fedora), then just boot into fedora and run 'sudo update-grub'. GRUB should then detect Windows and at next boot give the option to boot into Windows.

[TriBeard]

I've never had much luck/experience getting dual boots on one drive to work. Dual booting with 2 different physical drives though is pretty much flawless at this point. If this is an option for you it might be a lot easier.