Sunday, December 25, 2016

bios - How to boot into a Linux, non-primary partition if Windows bootloader is on the MBR

I have Windows 8.1 installed in legacy mode/BIOS mode (ie: Not UEFI at all). Windows 8.1 is installed in the primary partition (ie: first). I (intend to) have linux installed in a second partition on this drive.


Let's say I install Linux (run through it's installer and reboot). Problem: Will I be able to boot into this installed partition of Linux and if so how?


Note: In this case, I will not be installing GRUB automatically through the installer, therefore the MBR will still contain (as the title says) the Windows Bootloader.


A more general form of my question is, (and really what I want to know): How do I boot OS's on different partitions if they are remote from the MBR (ie: not linked directly from the MBR via a menu or chained transitively either).


Note: Sadly when I google for information on this and use the word "Windows 8", every installation guide assumes I am using UEFI, which I am not, I am in BIOS/legacy mode. I do not have an EFI parition and do not intend to use one.


edit: I don't intend to leave the windows bootloader there. My concern is, if the windows boat loader is left there (because I merely installed linux, not grub+linux), how do I boot up into Linux? I am unaware of how to pick an OS on a secondary partition if the MBR isn't pointing to it.

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