I installed Manjaro on SDD1 and replaced a failed installation attempt of another Linux-Distri who also failed to install the bootloader. Kubuntu is on the same drive on SDD5. The bootmanager/bootloader of Kubuntu seems to be on SDD3 which is esp flagged.
How can I force the bootloader to be installed onto the drive Manjaro is being installed upon?
The drive it wants the bootloader on is a data drive that should not contain a bootloader.
I did not specify anything but was just using the install option of the image.
Tbh. I couldnt even specify anything, my Linux knowledge is limited. But it seems I have to circumvent the install option the iso uses for some reason.
So technically you never successfully installed Manjaro yet?
There’s only a single SSD drive in question? It’s divvied into five partitions?
You installed Kubuntu on partition 5? It made partition 3 the FAT32 “esp” for the bootloaders? You’re trying now to install Manjaro to partition 1?
From a live USB session, can you provide more information, especially in regards to the partition layout, such as with lsblk -f
The drive I would like it on is weirdly divided yea. First I installed KDE-neon which failed as well due to some bootloader problems.
Then I installed Kubuntu. It should have reformated the whole drive but instead it broke it up into several pieces and installed itself onto SDD5 leaving SDD1 unouched. But at least I could install it.
I didnt manually install anything, it was always the iso install link that did everything.
At this point I need Kubuntu until I find a distri that can run my games because Kubuntu fails in that regard for some unknown reason, thats why I tried to replace the Neon partition with Manjaro (SDD1).
The iso I was using is manjaro-kde-21.3.7-220816-linux515 downloaded today.
SDD1 = failed Neon install (also bootloader fail)
SDD2 = linux swap (dont know if it belongs to Kubuntu or if it is a remnant of Neon.
SDD3 = FAT32 esp partition
SDD4 = extended partition that contains SDD5
There does not seem to be a point in trying to install Manjaro on another drive if it uses the same weird grub parameter that wants to put it onto the nvme drive with the mbr option instead of efi.
Extended partition? That’s a sign you’re using an MBR disk table, not GPT.
If you have no important data on your SSD and you’re willing to erase it completely, you can do a default Manjaro installation by choosing the option “Erase disk” and let it use the entire SSD for Manjaro. It will automatically create a GPT table, partition layout, and format everything.
It is possible that the drives where all initially MBR but I expected the Linux installers to change that to GPT since they redid everything anyways.
I know I did it with the windows drive but it was a complicated and time consuming procedure which involved an image of the whole drive which I do not have the space for anymore.
So basicly I have to install it on another drive because I can not lose Kubuntu until then. Which I can not do because the other drive I have has a partition that is being used by Win. Except if that drive is already GPT formated.
You’ve got yourself in quite a bind. Since you do not want to part with Kubuntu, it makes this process more complicated.
I should also mention, it depends what your BIOS is configured for. You might be using some sort of “legacy” feature for its Boot options. Most BIOS screens will have a Boot tab in which you can configure it for “EFI boot only”.
SDD is mbr as you said, fortunately SDB is GPT so I can just replace the existing ntfs partition there leaving the partition that Win needs untouched.
If nothing goes wrong
Afair the Bios is on efi legacy because efi only causes problems with some distris.
It bugs me though that I can not install it on SDD because it is kinda a waste of space to use another drive if I have space and a partition on this one.
Since you do not want to part with Kubuntu, it makes this process more complicated.