Reinstall Ubuntu

[ian63]

I am new to using Linux. I used EasyBCD to change the MBR and removed an Ubuntu deriative using the following instructions on youtube which worked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAWBZq04Izc. Could I reinstall any Ubuntu deriative or any other linux distro in the future? If so, is there any extra steps I would need to follow to achieve this?

[Mark Phelps]

Your mentioning EasyBCD implies you're running a Windows OS on this PC, and in that case, be sure NOT to use the "Replace" option, should you decide to reinstall any Linux distro.

What the option doesn't tell you is that, in the process of doing a "reinstall", it wipes the ENTIRE HARD DRIVE! Meaning, it would totally erase any Windows install you have there.

If you actually want to replace a Linux distro, then use the "Something Else" option to reformat the partitions and install manually.

[grahammechanical]

Could I reinstall any Ubuntu deriative or any other linux distro in the future?

Yes. Why would it not be possible? Lots of people are installing Ubuntu on machines with another OS pre-installed.


If so, is there any extra steps

Extra to what? A lot depends on the hardware specification and what other OS is installed and the hard disk partitioning scheme. An install could go smoothly or it could prove to be difficult. It all depends on what hardware you have, what other OS you have and what preparation you have done.

It is impossible to give advice specific to your needs without knowing the specifics of your machine.

Regards.

[kansasnoob]

Your mentioning EasyBCD implies you're running a Windows OS on this PC, and in that case, be sure NOT to use the "Replace" option, should you decide to reinstall any Linux distro.

What the option doesn't tell you is that, in the process of doing a "reinstall", it wipes the ENTIRE HARD DRIVE! Meaning, it would totally erase any Windows install you have there.

If you actually want to replace a Linux distro, then use the "Something Else" option to reformat the partitions and install manually.

+1! Just for reference this is the bug report:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1265192

Dual-booting (or even multi-booting) is not at all complicated once you learn the basics. But before anyone can provide advice specific to your circumstances we need detailed info. One way of providing a lot of the needed info at once is to provide the boot info generated by Boot Repair (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair). If you should choose to do so DO NOT actually run the recommended repair, just provide the link to the boot info.

Even once you know all of the ins and outs of partitioning and installation there is always some risk of data loss while performing such procedures so backing up any important info is an absolute must - the data you lose is always the data you don't have backed up!