how to remove bootloader

[Amadeus W.M.]

I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on it, 
running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed again 
F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data only. So now 
I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate drives and I can 
boot either one of them. I want to 

1) remove the bootloader from the first disk
2) reformat the system partitions on the first disk
3) keep and expand the data partitions from the first disk

I know how to do 2 and 3, but I need to know how to do 1 without losing 
the partition table. 

The reason I need to remove the bootloader is that by default, the pc 
boots from the first drive. I can display the boot order (F12) and select 
the 2nd drive manually upon boot, and I can also probably change the boot 
order in the bios, but I recon there must be a software way to remove the 
bootloader. 

Does anybody know how to do this? Thanks!

[Joachim Backes]

On 04/12/16 13:25, Amadeus W.M. wrote:
>  I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on
> it,
>  running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed again
>  F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data only. So now
>  I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate drives and I can
>  boot either one of them. I want to
>
>  1) remove the bootloader from the first disk
>  2) reformat the system partitions on the first disk
>  3) keep and expand the data partitions from the first disk
>
>  I know how to do 2 and 3, but I need to know how to do 1 without losing
>  the partition table.
>
>  The reason I need to remove the bootloader is that by default, the pc
>  boots from the first drive. I can display the boot order (F12) and select
>  the 2nd drive manually upon boot, and I can also probably change the boot
>  order in the bios, but I recon there must be a software way to remove the
>  bootloader.
>
>  Does anybody know how to do this? Thanks! 
This may help: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-how-to-uninstall-grub/

Pls. see section "Using Linux"

Kind regards

Joachim Backes


-- 

Fedora release 24 (Twenty Four)
Kernel-4.5.0-302.fc24.x86_64


Joachim Backes <joachim.backes(a)rhrk.uni-kl.de&gt;
http://www-user.rhrk.uni-kl.de/~backes/

[Chris Murphy]

On Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 5:40 AM, Joachim Backes
<joachim.backes(a)rhrk.uni-kl.de&gt; wrote:
>  On 04/12/16 13:25, Amadeus W.M. wrote:
> >
> > I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on it,
> > running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed again
> > F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data only. So now
> > I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate drives and I can
> > boot either one of them. I want to
> >
> > 1) remove the bootloader from the first disk
> > 2) reformat the system partitions on the first disk
> > 3) keep and expand the data partitions from the first disk
> >
> > I know how to do 2 and 3, but I need to know how to do 1 without losing
> > the partition table.
> >
> > The reason I need to remove the bootloader is that by default, the pc
> > boots from the first drive. I can display the boot order (F12) and select
> > the 2nd drive manually upon boot, and I can also probably change the boot
> > order in the bios, but I recon there must be a software way to remove the
> > bootloader.
> >
> > Does anybody know how to do this? Thanks!
>
>
>  This may help: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-how-to-uninstall-grub/
>
>  Pls. see section "Using Linux" 
Yes that will work for computers with BIOS firmware.

For computers with UEFI firmware, you can use wipefs on the EFI system
partition, which is typically the first. Confirm with 'blkid' first,
and then use 'wipefs -ab' (man wipefs for more info on the options).
And then you also need to look at 'efibootmgr -v' and find the boot
entry that was pointing to that disk and remove it with 'efibootmgr -b
xxxx -B' or you can just leave everything alone and change the boot
order to explicitly not use the old boot entry.


-- 
Chris Murphy

[Amadeus W.M.]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2016 13:40:56 +0200, Joachim Backes wrote:

>  On 04/12/16 13:25, Amadeus W.M. wrote:
> > I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on
> > it, running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed
> > again F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data
> > only. So now I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate
> > drives and I can boot either one of them. I want to
> >
> > 1) remove the bootloader from the first disk 2) reformat the system
> > partitions on the first disk 3) keep and expand the data partitions
> > from the first disk
> >
> > I know how to do 2 and 3, but I need to know how to do 1 without losing
> > the partition table.
> >
> > The reason I need to remove the bootloader is that by default, the pc
> > boots from the first drive. I can display the boot order (F12) and
> > select the 2nd drive manually upon boot, and I can also probably change
> > the boot order in the bios, but I recon there must be a software way to
> > remove the bootloader.
> >
> > Does anybody know how to do this? Thanks!
>  
>  This may help: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-how-to-uninstall-grub/
>  
>  Pls. see section "Using Linux"
>  
>  Kind regards
>  
>  Joachim Backes
>   
Thanks! I found the magic too not long after I posted. I wanted to know 
the exact size I had to zero out without touching the partition table.

[Tim]

Allegedly, on or about 12 April 2016, Amadeus W.M. sent:
>  I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on
>  it, running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed
>  again F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data
>  only. So now I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate
>  drives and I can boot either one of them. I want to 
>  
>  1) remove the bootloader from the first disk
>  2) reformat the system partitions on the first disk
>  3) keep and expand the data partitions from the first disk  
Have you considered unplugging the drives, and re-plugging them in the
opposite order?  Of course that may entail fiddling with grub so drive 2
is drive 1, so to speak.

An alternative is to leave the bootloader as it is, use it to boot the
second drive with the OS, and simply use the rest of that drive for your
data, etc.  Proportionally speaking, the boot partition ought to small
enough to not worry too much over.

-- 
[tim@localhost ~]$ uname -rsvp
Linux 3.9.10-100.fc17.x86_64 #1 SMP Sun Jul 14 01:31:27 UTC 2013 x86_64

Boilerplate:  All mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted, there is
no point trying to privately email me, I only get to see the messages
posted to the mailing list.

This email has been brought to you by beetwix. Mmm, spewy! Get some into
you today.

[Amadeus W.M.]

On Wed, 13 Apr 2016 04:04:39 +0930, Tim wrote:

>  Allegedly, on or about 12 April 2016, Amadeus W.M. sent:
> > I have a pc which initially had a single drive with F23 installed on
> > it, running perfectly. Now I just added a second drive and I installed
> > again F23 on it, with the intent of using the first drive for data
> > only. So now I have two perfectly good F23s installed on separate
> > drives and I can boot either one of them. I want to
> > 
> > 1) remove the bootloader from the first disk 2) reformat the system
> > partitions on the first disk 3) keep and expand the data partitions
> > from the first disk
>  
>  Have you considered unplugging the drives, and re-plugging them in the
>  opposite order?  Of course that may entail fiddling with grub so drive 2
>  is drive 1, so to speak. 
No, I don't want to do that because each drive is in fact a raid array 
with two physical disks each and I don't know what the raid controller 
would do if I swap the disks.

[Tim]

Tim:
> > Have you considered unplugging the drives, and re-plugging them
> in
> > the opposite order?  Of course that may entail fiddling with grub so
> > drive 2 is drive 1, so to speak. 
Amadeus W.M.:
>  No, I don't want to do that because each drive is in fact a raid
> array
>  with two physical disks each and I don't know what the raid controller
>  would do if I swap the disks.  
Ah...  Though I imagine it would do the same as using the BIOS options
to boot from a different disc (as mentioned earlier).  But I see you've
found a path to follow, in another message in this thread.

-- 
[tim@localhost ~]$ uname -rsvp
Linux 3.9.10-100.fc17.x86_64 #1 SMP Sun Jul 14 01:31:27 UTC 2013 x86_64

Boilerplate:  All mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted, there is
no point trying to privately email me, I only get to see the messages
posted to the mailing list.

Windows (TM) [Typhoid Mary]. They refuse to believe that there's
anything wrong with it, but everyone else knows Windows is a disease
that spreads.

[Chris Murphy]

On Fri, Apr 15, 2016 at 8:18 AM, Tim <ignored_mailbox(a)yahoo.com.au&gt; wrote:
>  Tim:
> >> Have you considered unplugging the drives, and re-plugging them in
> >> the opposite order?  Of course that may entail fiddling with grub so
> >> drive 2 is drive 1, so to speak.
>
>  Amadeus W.M.:
> > No, I don't want to do that because each drive is in fact a raid array
> > with two physical disks each and I don't know what the raid controller
> > would do if I swap the disks.
>
>  Ah...  Though I imagine it would do the same as using the BIOS options
>  to boot from a different disc (as mentioned earlier).  But I see you've
>  found a path to follow, in another message in this thread.
>
>  --
>  [tim@localhost ~]$ uname -rsvp
>  Linux 3.9.10-100.fc17.x86_64 #1 SMP Sun Jul 14 01:31:27 UTC 2013 x86_64
>
>  Boilerplate:  All mail to my mailbox is automatically deleted, there is
>  no point trying to privately email me, I only get to see the messages
>  posted to the mailing list.
>
>  Windows (TM) [Typhoid Mary]. They refuse to believe that there's
>  anything wrong with it, but everyone else knows Windows is a disease
>  that spreads. 
FYI, gmail puts your emails in spam for the following reason:
Why is this message in Spam? It has a from address in yahoo.com.au but
has failed yahoo.com.au's required tests for authentication.

I'm seeing an increase in list emails dumped into spam with the same
kind of message. I'm not sure what's failed, this is the best clue I
have:

Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of
users-bounces(a)lists.fedoraproject.org designates 209.132.181.2 as
permitted sender) client-ip=209.132.181.2;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com;
       spf=pass (google.com: domain of
users-bounces(a)lists.fedoraproject.org designates 209.132.181.2 as
permitted sender) smtp.mailfrom=users-bounces(a)lists.fedoraproject.org;
       dmarc=fail (p=REJECT dis=NONE) header.from=yahoo.com.au

Anyway, maybe it's worth a separate thread instead of hijacking this one...



-- 
Chris Murphy