I'm curious if there's a way to install a Linux distribution directly on an external SSD without having GRUB as the bootloader. I'm doing this because I've read that installing GRUB can cause issues when dual-booting with Windows, especially after Windows updates. My plan is to hold the F8 key during boot to select the Linux SSD, so I won't need a bootloader if I want to start Windows normally.
I considered removing my Windows drive during the installation, but that's really cumbersome. I've been looking into Fedora and tried starting the install from a live USB. However, I only see options like 'Share with other operating systems', 'Use entire disk', and 'Mount point assignment'. Choosing 'Use entire disk' seems to be the best option, but I'm worried it might still lead to GRUB being installed. Could someone confirm whether I'm on the right track? Thanks!
4 Answers
While there might be some other distros that let you create a persistent Linux environment on an SSD, I'm partial to MX Linux. It offers good tools to manage installations on external drives, and you can create a persistent live USB. That way, you won't mess around with the internal drive's EFI partitions.
Though I find Fedora's installer a bit tricky, you should be able to set it up using the 'Mount point assignment' option to keep GRUB on the second disk. That's how it works for me with Manjaro. My system lets me boot from whatever disk I used last, and I can easily switch to Windows if needed.
If you're trying to avoid using a bootloader altogether, you'll run into some challenges because you'll need some way to boot into Linux. Ideally, you want to select 'Use entire disk' for the external SSD installation. Since you've got Windows on a separate disk, there shouldn't be any conflicts during the boot process unless Windows goes haywire, which can happen sometimes.
You can install Linux without affecting the Windows bootloader, but you can't completely skip a bootloader. Just install it in Legacy/MBR mode if possible. Your BIOS might allow you to boot directly from the external SSD if it recognizes the EFI partition on it, so check that. If everything's set correctly, you can choose which drive to boot from in BIOS.
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