The officially official Devuan Forum!

terryn

Member

Registered: 2024-08-01

Posts: 9  

[SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

Hello.  I already have grub installed by another OS.  I can add the Devuan installation (on a partition) to the existing GRUB menu.  How do I stop the daedalus installer installing GRUB?

soren

Member

Registered: 2023-04-30

Posts: 142  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

Im pretty sure the devuan installer has an option to bypass installing a bootloader. What have you experienced so far?

See here...
https://www.devuan.org/os/documentation … all-devuan
Go down to step 20

Last edited by soren (2024-08-01 09:08:58)

terryn

Member

Registered: 2024-08-01

Posts: 9  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

Thanks.  I have studied that page.

20) Now that all the software required is installed, the GRUB bootloader will be installed.

It is evident from the warning following that paragraph that the installer will replace the existing GRUB.  I want to avoid that.  I will not use the installer if I can't avoid that.

Last edited by terryn (2024-08-01 09:39:03)

soren

Member

Registered: 2023-04-30

Posts: 142  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

I think maybe there is option before that step (not listed in the how to on devuan.org), im not really sure as its been awhile but there should be an entry where it says to continue without a bootloader, it might be in the expert install method? You might be better off doing a devuan debootstrap depending on what your main system is. I think there is a how to somewhere in this forum for debootstrap if you do a search.

Last edited by soren (2024-08-01 09:54:31)

rolfie

Member

Registered: 2017-11-25

Posts: 1,170  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

In expert mode you can skip that step. The description is for normal mode.

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

When you get to step 20, say NO and finish the install without adding grub.
 
Then reboot into your other linux and make sure that /etc/default/grub is set to allow os-prober to run, and then run update-grub to generate a new boot menu in the old linux that includes boot entries for the new linux.

stultumanto

Member

Registered: 2023-12-12

Posts: 68  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

The line you may need to un-comment in /etc/default/grub to enable the OS prober is this one:

GRUB_DISABLE_OS_PROBER=false

The default setting is true, which disables the prober. Un-commenting the line sets it to false, which enables the prober. If you install grub manually, the line is commented out by default. I'm not sure what happens when you use the installer, though.

terryn

Member

Registered: 2024-08-01

Posts: 9  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

Thanks for the replies.  I did not ask about os-prober.

I think replies #6 and #5 answer my question.  os-prober is set to run on the existing OS and I would run update-grub after the new installation.

I have created a live usb from devuan_daedalus_5.0.1_i386_desktop.iso  I found the following threads about debootstrap.  Neither helped.

https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=576
https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=4415

terryn

Member

Registered: 2024-08-01

Posts: 9  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

I was able to install without GRUB.  Expert mode has an option Continue without boot loader.  I am marking this thread as solved.

The installer installed on the partition I selected AND on a partition of the same number on another drive.

The OS isn't bootable because the kernel provided doesn't boot 64bit machines.  I'll file separately about that.

Last edited by terryn (2024-08-03 02:17:08)

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: [SOLVED] How to avoid installing GRUB

The i686 kernels will certainly boot a 64-bit machine. What they won't do is boot in uefi mode. If your computer is set to use uefi you should be using one of the amd64 isos.