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First off, no Windows is involved, and no, it's not UEFI.
I have 6 different flavors of Linux running on this old laptop, one of those distros is the only one I trust to manage the bootloader, I don't need a new bootloader I'll go in an add Ubuntu manually after install.

Calamares is an awesome installer that gives you the choice to not install a bootloader, that appears to be absent in the Ubuntu installer, I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find it. Surely you can install Ubuntu without a bootloader. No, I'm not going to back up the MBR and reinstall it etc.

So my questions are:

  1. Is there a proper linux way to start the installer with a command line that does this?
  2. Or, until a fix is available, should I just install the darn thing in the Ubuntu partition?
user68186
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Garrett
  • 19

1 Answers1

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Ubuntu is available in many forms (including flavors), and does include ISOs that use as the main installer

  • Ubiquity
  • Calamares
  • Subiquity

and more (eg. netboot), but which release you are using, plus ISO you download will dictate which installer is included. Most common is Ubiquity, however as you mention Calamares; it's used by Lubuntu since 18.10. You didn't specify a release or ISO tried.

Ubuntu can also install

  • using grub
  • using lilo
  • without boot loader

but your architecture also influences the best option for you. You specified neither release nor architecture, so I'll assume amd64 & provide a link to one of the installation guides (there are many such guides to, suited for different needs)

https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/installation-guide/amd64/

guiverc
  • 33,561