Ubuntu install without touching MBR and C partition

Here is what I want. I am using Eaz-Fix and want to install Ubuntu. Tried flash drive install but it will not boot on my laptop. Tried wubi install but failed too.

I can,t touch MBR and C partition due to Eaz-Fix. Now my only choice is to install Ubuntu on another partition like D, E etc and to install GRUB in a CD or USB stick. I will boot GRUB via CD or UDB stick and then it will boot Ubuntu from D or E partition. It will bypass MBR issues.

Is there any tutorial on it, how to do this?

Thanks

 

You might be better off just running the Ubuntu CD from Windows and installing Ubuntu as a Win app in the ntfs file system. Disk I/O is slightly slower, but overall everything works fine. Then again, that will alter your boot.ini file, which you may have to manually fix after you uninstall Ubuntu in Win add/remove programs. So beware...

I put each OS on it's own separate drive, totally independant of each other, i.e., when installing Ubuntu I actually pulled the plug on the C drive so it wouldn't write Grub to the C disk at all. This is cleaner and works best for me. I boot off a choice in the BIOS menu at boot time.

All that said, I have no idea how you would install on a D or E partition and yet boot off a CD or somewhere else. Sometimes you can tell the distro where you want it to put Grub, so there must be a way.

 

CD install is just a wubi install that did not work for me. I can,t pull out my HD as it,s a laptop.

Ok, more simple, I will be OK to install GRUB nd Ubuntu in an external USB hard disk and boot from there( though I failed with USB flash memory stick).

 

I would try to create a primary partition for Ubuntu. You will be able to install GRUB in the partition record of Ubuntu itself.
When you make that partition active, it will show the GRUB menu from where you select Windows or Ubuntu.

I don't remember if I tried this myself, but I assume that you will get the GRUB menu after you see the Eaz-Fix boot screen (which is activated from the MBR).

Give it a try.

 

Seems a good idea but it might mess up MBR? May try. Does ubuntu gives option to install GRUB in PBR rather than MBR?

 

Ok, I used UNetbootin - Universal Netboot Installer to install Ubuntu on a flash memory stick.

I was able to boot from it this time. That,s cool. Only problem is taht it boots up only as a live session. I want it to be persistent. Any idea how to do that?

Thanks

 

Yes, you will be able to select where to install GRUB.

 

are you using vista??if yes then first install EASYBCD IN vista.then go on and install ubuntu to any other free partition.dont install grub to mbr,install it to the first boot sector of the partition that you installed ubuntu (there is an option for this in the live cd).after the installation ubuntu wont boot but you can boot into vista.from there choose EASYBCD AND add an entry for ubuntu into the vista bootloader.then restart and you can boot into ubuntu.some times you need to configure grub after this,i dont remember exactly.i am using ubuntu like this way now. i advice you to just read mrkvonic's excellent TUTORIAL ON GRUB POSTED A WHILE HERE ON WILDERS.I THINK ITS AVAILABLE ON DEDOIMEDO AND YOU WILL get a hang of things to expect..

 

I just installed ubuntu inside windows in an eaz-fix snapshot. I set the ubuntu installer to install it to my D drive. Now when i boot up i get the eaz-fix screen first followed by the windows/ubuntu selection boot screen. Everything seems to be working fine so far.

 

Hello,

You have two options:

Install grub to the root of the same device where ubuntu is installed, for instance, second hard disk or usb drive, but then, you'll have to enable it in bios to boot.

Option 2 is to install grub to the same partition where ubuntu is installed, but then you'll indeed have to make sure this partition is primary and active.

Mrk

 

Thanks for all replies. I will try and let u people know.

 

U mean the ussuall HD install, not the wubi install?

 

i haven't re-read what this does so i don't know how it works -
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=222295

 

Yeh i used the wubi installer. Inserted the disk while running vista+eazfix and installed it to my D drive. I first tried installing it to C drive, the installation went ok but ubuntu wouldn't boot, it must be something to do with how eaz-fix stores data that causes the problem. No problems installing to D drive tho as i have eaz-fix configured to not protect that drive.
Although the installer states there is a performance decrease doing it this way i don't really notice it. I have it running this way on my ultraportable vaio laptop which only has a 1.3ghz processor and yet ubuntu runs very nice, far better than vista does i have to say!

 

Ok, i wil try that.

 

Create a USB install disk and run Live from there, its much faster and responsive than the slow optical disk.