Hey guys, after 2 years since my last attempt (and recently trying fedora on my laptop) Im ready to try again to install it on my desktop. First time I installed Nobara and it nuked my windows boots partition which caused a lot of trouble and trauma (couldnt boot into windows no matter what). Basically I want to accomplish this:

1- I want to install Fedora on a separate drive and keep my windows drive completely intact (Need it for work).
2- Preferably I would like GRUB to ask which boot option I want to use if my linux drive is set to be my boot drive and to boot straight to windows if its my windows drive set to boot.

Can someone please guide me into installing it the safest way possible?

  • just_another_person@lemmy.world
    51·
    16 hours ago

    Fedora will default to your empty drive, but just in case, but into the liveUSB, and identify your drive assignments and partitions so you are POSITIVE you’re installing to the right drive. The installer will ask you multiple times where you want to install, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

    Grub will default to asking you what you want to boot. You can change the defaults after install if you’d like.

    • Dagnet@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      16 hours ago

      All my drives have different sizes so the chance is super low. My worries is because I picked the correct drive in nobara and it still nuked my windows boot partition (the rest of my windows drive was fine but couldnt boot into it), I was wondering if I need to somehow disable my windows drive to make sure nothing happens to it, but then Im worried GRUB wont see it

      • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz
        1·
        15 hours ago

        You wont get windows in Grub, but since you’re using separate drives, you can boot each one by just setting the boot drive in BIOS.

        You can also look up how to add windows later, once you have fedora working and re-enable the drive with windows.

      • just_another_person@lemmy.world
        22·
        16 hours ago

        I’d have to see the Nonara install to know, but I don’t see how that would happen then or now. I’ve installed thousands of machines and never had it accidentally do anything like “miss” the correct target drive.

        Either way, you shouldn’t have an issue now.

        • Dagnet@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          16 hours ago

          Technically it didnt miss, it installed in the correct drive but still destroyed my windows boot partition. I asked in the nobara disc and they said the program nobara uses to install is bad, so maybe that is why? So I can just install Fedora on my other drive without any worries? Nothing special to keep in mind? Should I use Fedora’s tool to create the bootable drive?

          EDIT: Btw, this time I wont install with nobara, I will just install fedora KDE

          • just_another_person@lemmy.world
            12·
            16 hours ago

            Yep. Installing on two different drives, make sure you go into your BIOS settings and set the new drive as the first boot target to get you a Grub menu on boot though.

            • Dagnet@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
              1·
              16 hours ago

              and if I set it back to windows it will boot straight into it with no issues right (no GRUB)?

              • just_another_person@lemmy.world
                11·
                15 hours ago

                Yep! Grub should show you the Fedora or Windows boot options though, so you shouldn’t need to flop back and forth in the BIOS.