Best Bootloaders for Linux and Windows: What Are Your Recommendations?
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TechyNinja321
I'm about to install Arch Linux soon, and I remember finding the boot picker on Ubuntu a bit dull. Can anyone suggest some good bootloaders that work well with both Linux and Windows?
Answers
As mentioned by others, Grub is quite versatile, though it doesn't support mouse navigation for selecting boot options. If that's important to you, check out rEFInd. And if you’re going with Arch, I highly recommend using the Arch Wiki. It has a detailed feature comparison for various bootloaders that could help you decide!
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Most Linux distros, including Arch and Ubuntu, typically come with grub2 as their default bootloader. Grub can be customized to look as fancy—or as basic—as you'd like. Since most users only spend a few seconds in the boot menu, it might be limiting to choose a distro based on how the bootloader looks. But if you want something different, there are themes available you can use!
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If you're planning to dual boot with Windows, grub is definitely your best bet. But if you want a single OS setup, consider using a Unified Kernel Image (UKI), which I have tried, and it noticeably reduces boot times. Just a heads-up: Arch doesn’t have a graphical installation unless you opt for archinstall, so there won’t be a boot picker menu by default.
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TechyNinja321: Great tip! I'll definitely take a look at rEFInd and the Arch Wiki for more info. Thanks!