So I am trying to install ubuntu onto my external harddrive and was wondering if there was a way so that the bootloader only comes up when I restart the computer when the external HD is attached.
[editline]05:24PM[/editline]
never mind, forgot to set the partition to "boot"
too bad grub eats your master boot record and you probably can't get to windows without the hdd in
You already figured it out yourself but could have disconnected all harddrives and when installing just install to the external HD like usual.
Then when booting you select the external harddrive and GRUB is loaded from it, but you might have to change the configuration depending on if GRUB loads your internal harddrive(s) before the external so it doesn't try booting from the Windows HDD.
[QUOTE=raccoon2112;22118099]too bad grub eats your master boot record and you probably can't get to windows without the hdd in[/QUOTE]
Not if you set the bootloader to install to a partition, and not the HDD (it's on step 7 of installing Ubuntu, you just need to press "Advanced" and scroll down to your Ubuntu partition)
Even if it does that, it's a quick fix. Pop in your Windows disk (if it's OEM you probably need one of [url=http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/]these disks[/url]), open up command prompt and run
[code]bootrec /fixmbr[/code]
but if it doesn't find the windows partiton, try this:
[code]bootrec /rebuildbcd[/code]
[QUOTE=raccoon2112;22118099]too bad grub eats your master boot record and you probably can't get to windows without the hdd in[/QUOTE]
it will only eat the MBR if you install it to (hd0)
...All he has to do is unplug his internal harddrive(s) while Ubuntu installs on his external drive.
It's not rocket science. It's Linux.
[QUOTE=raccoon2112;22118099]too bad grub eats your master boot record and you probably can't get to windows without the hdd in[/QUOTE]
GRUB has to eat the MBR to work, unless you tell it not to and chainload into GRUB some other way.
He could always use LILO as an alternative to GRUB...
LILO is even worse about fucking the MBR
I've never used LILO, but I hear GRUB is much better.
I used LILO as my primary boot loader back when it was still semi-relevant. Now everything LILO does, GRUB does better.
LILO is more dead than JFK.
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