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How to install ubuntu without overwriting windows bootloader

jm flag

I have windows installed machine. I want to install ubuntu which should be installed and uninstalled at any time(permanent os is windows). I have an ubuntu USB. I have no windows USB to re-install windows.

I've already installed ubuntu. Then I delete my ubuntu partition the windows os can't be opened. so help me to install ubuntu with windows bootloader.

I think my machine has no support for UEFI.

Nmath avatar
ng flag
We need more details and specifics about what exactly you're doing. Ubuntu doesn't overwrite the Windows bootloader **unless you tell it to**. Are you sure that Windows is not UEFI? If this is Windows 10, that would be extremely unlikely. When you install Ubuntu, do you have enough unpartitioned free space, or are you overwriting your entire Windows installation? Can you also explain why you are deleting the Ubuntu partition after installation. That seems counterintuitive.
Nmath avatar
ng flag
FYI, installing operating systems and manipulating partition tables is not risk-free, especially if you are not experienced in doing this. You should always have good backups, especially in this situation. And it would be wise to have both Ubuntu and Windows installation media in case you make a big mistake, like overwriting your operating system
C.S.Cameron avatar
cn flag
If you want to reinstall Windows bootloader check a Windows site. This is a Ubuntu site. If you want to run both Windows and Ubuntu with their own bootloader, Use two drives and use F2, F9, F12, etc to select the drive to boot.
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id flag

This isn’t a direct answer to your question, partly because we’d need a lot more details, and partly because I think there is probably a better solution, but it does address some of the issues and I hope it’s helpful, and there’s too much here to put in as comments.

There are lots of potential problems with what you’re proposing, and it’s likely to be a very inefficient and potentially risky way of achieving your objective. Operating systems aren’t really designed to be installed and uninstalled frequently.

You can download the windows installation media from Microsoft - you don’t need a license to download it; if it was installed on the computer before, the license is likely linked to the motherboard and so should activate.

If you haven’t done so already, it’s essential to back everything up - you should be able to access your windows files from Ubuntu to copy them to an external drive.

Long term, depending on what you were planning on using Ubuntu for, especially if it’s only for occasional specific purposes, you are likely to be much better off booting into a live usb session whenever you want to use Ubuntu, instead of installing the os and subsequently uninstalling it (select ‘try Ubuntu’ when you boot with the usb in, having changed the boot priority to usb first). You could alternatively create a persistent usb installation - again, that would leave Windows and your internal hdd untouched. There are lots of guides online, eg How to make a live Ubuntu 18.04 USB with a persistent storage of more than 4GB

Booting a live usb session from a usb pen drive takes slightly longer than booting from the internal drive … but dramatically less time than installing the os.

If for some reason you really do want a full installation, I think it is likely to be a much better solution to install Ubuntu in a relatively small partition - say 10 GB. It’s then using so little disk space that there really shouldn’t be any need to do repeated installations / uninstalls.

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