I'm curious if it's possible to install a Linux distribution directly onto an external SSD without having GRUB installed. My primary goal is to avoid any bootloader installations because I've heard that GRUB can create issues when I have a dual boot setup with Windows, especially after a Windows update. I'm planning to boot using F8 to select the Linux drive or simply let my system boot into Windows as usual.
I thought about removing the Windows drive, installing Linux, and then putting it back, but that seems too tedious. I've looked into Fedora, and while I have the live USB ready, I don't see a clear way to skip GRUB during installation. The destinations available to me are:
* Share with other operating systems
* Use entire disk
* Mount point assignment
Using 'use entire disk' seems ideal, but I'm unsure if this will avoid GRUB installation. I'd like to steer clear of 'share with other operating systems' as I think that might lead to installing GRUB. Any advice?
3 Answers
If you skip installing a bootloader, how will you even boot into Linux? Just go ahead and select the entire disk option for installation. If Windows is installed on a separate drive, you shouldn't run into any problems, as long as Windows isn't causing conflicts.
You definitely need a bootloader to boot Linux, but your concerns might stem from some misunderstandings. If you want to avoid a boot option popping up in BIOS, here are two ways you can go:
1. Install in Legacy/MBR mode, but only if your computer supports it.
2. With UEFI, if there's an EFI partition, your BIOS should let you boot from it directly. You can just select the Fedora option from BIOS to run Linux without messing up anything on your Windows disk.
You might want to check out MX Linux for a different approach. It has a feature in its MX Tools that lets you turn a live USB into a persistent session. You can write the MX .iso to your external SSD and boot into it, then remaster it to make your apps and settings persistent across reboots. No EFI partition needed! Just a heads-up, MX 25 is coming out soon, so keep an eye on that!
Just to clarify, there are ways to have a kernel that embeds a boot stub, eliminating the need for a separate bootloader. It's a rare setup but possible!