How to install a linux distribution fully separately with its own EFI partition to another SSD?

[AndrewAsd]

I got a separate 1TB SATA ssd to dedicate to a separate linux installation. I haven't quite decided distro yet, but it's either Ubuntu or Arch. Problem is every single time I've done dual booting the EFI/boot partitions are usually shared which can sometimes lead to problems. I want to have 2 independent installations on 2 separate drives. My Windows 11 installation with it's own partitions remaining untouched on my NVME. And the 2nd installation with it's own boot loader and partitions installed on to a separate SATA SSD. I want to do this without having to remove the NVME drive currently in my system since it's a pain to get to. How do I go about doing this?

[Kilrah]

On some mobos you can force the type of drive in m.2 slots, if the drive is nvme and you set it to SATA it might essentially disable it/make it inaccessible.

Works on mine although it gives a POST warning, on some it switches back automatically so it doesn't work.

 

If that's not working on yours you'll have to remove to be sure. 

[Sauron]

Most linux distributions, including I believe Ubuntu, give you the option of partitioning the drive yourself; this allows you to choose exactly where your EFI partition will be. On Arch you're in complete control of which bootloader you install and which drive you target, so it's pretty simple to follow the usual installation instructions and simply target the correct drive when the time comes.

[NoLeafClover]

I'll 2nd both of the above. For most moderately adequate installers, manual partitioning should do the trick.

 

It's usually Windows that's being stupid and reinstalling it might require disabling or, if that doesn't work, removing the other drive, in case it decides to put its bootloader there.

[Kilrah]

16 hours ago, Sauron said:

Most linux distributions, including I believe Ubuntu, give you the option of partitioning the drive yourself

Don't know if it's finally been fixed now but for a long while even when you chose the partition to put the efi loader on in the ubuntu installer it'd ignore it and use an existing one it found