How can I keep Fedora and Windows completely isolated on separate drives?
Asked by
MellowPine47
I'm using a Framework 16 with several NVMe drives: two installed internally and others connected through USB-C adapters for testing different operating systems. I still need Windows for a few specialized work and research tools, but I'd like to move as much of my daily use as possible to Fedora or possibly Nobara.
My preferred setup is one operating system per drive, with each drive remaining independent. When installing Windows, I disconnect the other NVMe drives so Windows cannot modify their boot files. I then choose which system to start through the firmware's boot menu instead of using a shared bootloader.
I'd like to install Fedora on another drive while keeping this arrangement. In particular, I don't want GRUB to scan the other drives, add Windows entries, or create dependencies between installations. I want to be able to boot the Fedora drive from the USB-C adapter for testing, and later make it the primary or secondary drive if everything works out.
What is the safest way to install Fedora so each drive keeps its own EFI partition and bootloader, with the systems remaining as independent as possible?
Answers
The simplest approach is to keep doing what you’re already doing: disconnect or disable every other drive while installing each operating system. Let Fedora create its own EFI System Partition on its own NVMe drive, and let Windows do the same on its drive. Then use the firmware’s boot menu to select the drive you want.
With that arrangement, GRUB has no other operating system available to discover during installation, so it won’t build a combined menu. Each drive can boot independently, and the only likely issue is that a firmware update or OS update might change the default boot entry. That can normally be corrected quickly in the UEFI settings.
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You don’t actually need to avoid GRUB entirely. If Fedora is installed while the other drives are disconnected, its bootloader will be placed on Fedora’s own EFI partition. Even if the other drives are later connected, Fedora should not need to modify them. You can also turn off automatic OS probing in GRUB if you want to prevent it from adding entries for other systems.
For maximum separation, however, install with only the target drive connected, verify that Fedora boots by itself, and then select drives through the motherboard’s UEFI boot menu. This is more reliable than depending on a shared bootloader across several removable drives.
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If an installation ever becomes unbootable, recovery tools such as a boot-repair utility or a standalone GRUB recovery disk can help restore the EFI boot entry. They’re useful as emergency tools, but they shouldn’t be necessary for a clean one-drive-per-OS setup.
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QuietMaple22: That’s the setup I use too: Fedora on one drive for everyday work and gaming, and Windows on another for music production. Keeping a separate EFI partition on each drive has avoided any cross-installation problems.