Bypass Installing Grub?

[cmactavish]

Is it possible to install Zorin 16 without installing Grub and instead use the Windows Bootloader? I had a similar setup for Pop!_OS (which I am trying to replicate), where I would by default launch into Windows, but if I wanted to boot into Pop, I pressed F12 on boot and selected Pop from the default bootloader. Can this be done?

[Kedric]

Short Answer: Yes
BUT I highly advise you to not do it! Pls don't

You will mess up your Windows stuff. Oh, you still want to do it -sigh You can use EasyBCD to try to do it. IF YOU CAN PLS DON'T DO IT, PLS DON'T!

Grub is perfectly fine, what do you not like about Grub. You do know you can change how it looks. Is Grub causing any issues? If Grub is causing any problems, please ask here.

[cmactavish]

Why will it mess up my windows stuff? As mentioned I previously used Pop!_OS without GRUB. I don't have a major problem with GRUB, I just prefer the system I had before, Booting into windows by default and then if I wanted to boot into Pop, I selected it in the windows boot menu. Now, If I want to boot into Zorin, I go to the windows menu, then choose Zorin from that list, which then boots into Grub, not directly into Zorin.

[cmactavish]

Thank you, this is pretty much what I am after. Pop seems to have done something different, which looked like either there was no Grub, or they just made it seem that way? Selecting Pop from the Windows boot loader just launched straight to Pop.

My set up is dual boot dual drive (Although the drive that Zorin will be on also has an NTFS data partition shared between both OSes). Due to some miscommunication with another forum member, my initial install made a bit of a mess of things. Grub on my windows dribe boot partition, Pop! boot option on other drive despite Pop! not being present. I've just managed to get back to square one. Windows drive with just windows stuff, Second drive with Data partition and the remaining space unallocated.

Going to give installation another go.

[cmactavish]

Spoke too soon, can't seem to purge the 'ubuntu' boot option from BIOS. Have followed 2 sets of instructions that both seem to be successful. One uses Windows command prompt, the other was with terminal running off zorin USB. They both run as intended, but then when I reboot there it is again!

Any tips on clearing this properly?

[Aravisian]

@tomscharbach

@Aravisian, you are as experienced with Linux as anybody I know. Anything to help @cmactavish resolve this?

The timing is fascinating as I was typing the following post when this one popped up:

Installation and Distro recommendations

You can remove any old kernels and clean your system. This can be done with a GUI tool like Ubuntu Cleaner sudo apt install ubuntu-cleaner Or Synaptic or Bleachbit... Or you can check your kernels uname -r And remove any old kernels you are not using. Then run sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoremove Either way- after giving your system a good cleaning, run sudo update-grub That should clear out the Manjaro entry from bootloader.

The short version is: Remove unused kernels and their initramfs files and vmlinux files.

[cmactavish]

Can't seem to find anything in my BIOS that lets me directly remove them.

Here's what I have tried so far
Windows Command Prompt:
bcdedit /delete {identifier}
Completes successfully

Running Windows recovery mode locally and off a windows recovery USB in the command prompt:
bootrec /fixmbr
Completes successfully
bootrec /fixboot
Access is denied

In terminal while running off the Zorin USB:
sudo efibootmgr -b -B
Completes successfully.

Am going to down tools for the evening (GMT+10) and will check in again in the morning.

Thanks for your help so far.

[cmactavish]

Thanks! Currently don't have anything but windows installed. Could I do this from Zorin USB? Want to start with a clean slate before I try setup the dual boot again.

Will have a go in the morning.

[Aravisian]

@cmactavish

Thanks! Currently don't have anything but windows installed. Could I do this from Zorin USB? Want to start with a clean slate before I try setup the dual boot again.

Will have a go in the morning.

oh...

Well, in this case, none of the above would help you.
There is an entry in the efi partition that remains and with no other OS installed, nothing left to tell it to change what is there.

In which case, your best bet is through Windows (as you have been doing) or through the BIOS.
You are far more qualified than I am to navigate Windows.

@cmactavish

In terminal while running off the Zorin USB:
sudo efibootmgr -b -B
Completes successfully.

On this one, did you

sudo apt install efibootmgr

sudo modprobe efivars

Prior to running the above command? If so, my comments above are all I got...

[cmactavish]

I did not do those second two. The instructions I was following mentioned the install, but only if it initially failed, which it didn't. I have it a go and install was unnecessary as it was already running latest. Modprobe efivars didn't return anything. Ran the main line again and looks like it's successful, but still in BIOS when I restart.

My next step is to reinstall Zorin, with an EFI, main and swap partition. And then if I can get that working, maybe then I can try your other suggestion.

Thanks for all the help/suggestions so far.