Ubuntu – How to replace GRUB with Windows NT Bootloader

12.04bootloaderdual-bootgrub2windows

I'm not really a big fan of GRUB (I had a bad experience), nor very knowledgeable about Linux, so how do I remove GRUB, and replace it with Windows NT Bootloader, yet keep the same list/number/entries of OS, but swap bootloader? I have installed Ubuntu 12.04 Alpha 2 after Windows.

Best Answer

You can use EasyBCD as shown in: Is it possible to boot Ubuntu using the Windows bootloader? But installing GRUB to a partition instead of the MBR is strongly discouraged as GRUB will tell you.

If you're using 2 or more hard drives and can set up the boot device order in the BIOS and/or choose the boot device at boot via F8 oer F12, I recommend installing every OS on a separate hard drive and the corresponding bootloader only to the corresponding MBR.

As I can imagine from your answer, it's not only GRUBs fault. Please use Linux tools like parted or GParted for partition management. Same thing applies to other tasks as well. I'm not saying it is bad software, but most Windows-centric solutions in a mixed Windows-Linux environment are not aware of other OS, which in return causes more problems. On the other side when you install via Live CD, you mostly have the tools at hand, that you need to fix the issues if something goes wrong.

Replacing a Ubuntu GRUB installation by a Debian GRUB installation, after resizing a Windows partition with a third party tool, trying various other workarounds, fixing the MBR with the Windows Rescue tools, doing other stuff that breaks Windows and putting the blame on "GRUB" can just be described as FUD and is the wrong way to go.

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Ubuntu – How to create or recover Windows Bootloader after deleting Ubuntu boot drive

You can install a Microsoft style MBR from an Ubuntu LiveCD/USB. To do so, run

sudo software-properties-gtk -e universe && sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install mbr
sudo install-mbr /dev/sdX

where "sdX" is the device node for your hard drive, like "sda", not a partition like "sda1".

If you really want to use boot-repair to do this then simply run everything except the last command

sudo install-mbr /dev/sdX

The commands before that one will just install the mbr package. Then try boot-repair again.

Ubuntu – Problems Booting Windows 8 with Grub 2 HELP ASAP

Fix the bootsector of your sda1 partition this way: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BootSectorFix
use a Windows disc this way: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestoreUbuntu/XP/Vista/7Bootloader until you get direct access to Windows
then run Boot-Repair's Recommended Repair to recover your GRUB menu

Best Answer

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Ubuntu – How to create or recover Windows Bootloader after deleting Ubuntu boot drive

Ubuntu – Problems Booting Windows 8 with Grub 2 HELP ASAP

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