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This is my first post! I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask this type of question, but I know that it's possible to install GParted to a hard drive using GRUB4DOS in a Windows 7 installation (I have a boot entry already that works on MBR) but I was wondering if it's possible to install GRUB4DOS (or some sort of GRUB bootloader that works with Windows) on a Windows installation that has a GPT partition with more than 2 TB, meaning that it's a Windows UEFI installation.

I've tried this already and it's not working, and I think the reason is that I'm on a UEFI Windows installation and the GRUB4DOS bootloader only works on BIOS systems so it doesn't work on my UEFI installation. I was wondering if any of you would know another way of being able to install a GRUB bootloader (doesn't have to be GRUB4DOS) alongside Windows so that I can access my GParted installation even while I have a UEFI Windows installation. Even if I would have to access a GRUB boot menu before I get into Windows, that would be fine. If there's absolutely no way that this is possible, I can live with any other method. If it is possible, I would just like to know you would do this so that I can do it on my UEFIsystem as well. If you have any questions or need clarification on anything, like any specs or how I'm doing something, please let me know!

andrew.46
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hacker23ify
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  • I think the first clarification needed here is Why? What are you trying to achieve? –  Aug 18 '17 at 02:47
  • This website here: http://gparted.org/livehd.php shows how to install GParted into a GRUB boot entry in Windows directly on my boot hard drive. I used GRUB4DOS which I got working on my old BIOS system, but I can't do this on my computer that has UEFI on it that I'm booting from with the GPT partition table. Basically I'm trying to boot GParted using GRUB on a UEFI installation of Windows, which normally only works on a BIOS MBR installation. Does that make any sense? – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 03:01
  • My question as, what for? Why do you want GParted in Grub? This looks like a XY problem. –  Aug 18 '17 at 03:08
  • Well, like the article I linked earlier shows, it allows you to boot GParted from a Windows boot entry. I got this working on an old Windows system that I re-purposed, it has Windows 7 with BIOS, it just allows you to run GParted directly from your boot drive without you needing USB or CD or anything like that. And my gaming PC has UEFI of course and I have GPT on my boot drive, and was just wondering if it was possible to run this on my GPT installation with my current PC, if so how would this be achieved? If not, I'll have to stick with the old CD method, which has to be updated frequently. – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 03:47
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    No, grub4dos does not support UEFI and everything else in your link is applicable only to BIOS/CSM/Legacy. What still isn't clear is why you would need such thing- GParted - permanently in the bootloader, hence the XY problem reference: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/66377/what-is-the-xy-problem –  Aug 18 '17 at 03:56
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    With gparted you cannot edit mounted partitions, so Ubuntu default install actually un-installs it. I do reinstall it in Ubuntu to manage my other drives, but use Ubuntu live installer, gparted live ISO or direct boot of ISO using grub from flash drive or other drive. I do not think grub4dos supports UEFI. And you can install grub, but probably need Ubuntu live installer to do that and it already has gparted on it. – oldfred Aug 18 '17 at 03:57
  • I've been able to use GRUB4DOS with GParted using this method here: http://gparted.org/livehd.php and it works on the Windows 7 boot menu, so you're saying that it ISN'T possible to do it on a Windows 7 installation that's running GPT in UEFI? So it only works on an MBR BIOS installation? If it's possible to do this on Legacy BIOS, how would I do that? It doesn't matter what GRUB bootloader I'm using but I only have Windows on my main PC so if I need a version other than GRUB4DOS, I would still like it if I can use one that works with Windows like GRUB4DOS. If not, I'll stick with CD or USB – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 04:23
  • (Read my previous post first) If Legacy BIOS is what MBR uses instead of UEFI, I've got that working, but I just can't get it in GPT thanks to me needing UEFI only. If it simply isn't possible to get it in GPT, that's fine I was just wondering if that was possible. If it isn't (LET ME KNOW WHETHER IT IS OR NOT) then don't worry about this anymore, that's all I needed and I'm sorry about wasting your time. Thanks for your help. – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 04:30
  • I believe this question is about GParted Live, which is a mini-distribution designed to enable use of the GParted program. Since GParted Live is not an [official Ubuntu flavor,](https://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubuntu/flavours) that means that this question is off-topic on this forum. That said, I recommend reading [my page on installing Linux on EFI systems](http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-uefi/) and/or [my page on EFI boot loaders for Linux](http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/index.html) for information on EFI-mode installation of Linux and EFI boot loaders for Linux. – Rod Smith Aug 18 '17 at 13:52
  • Okay, I'll stick with the other methods I've been using and keep the one on my old computer which doesn't have UEFI (That one does work in a boot entry and I've never had problems with that (if I do I will ignore them and use one of the other methods on that PC too)). Thanks for your help! I feel less stressed about this problem since I've tried EVERYTHING I could already and according to you, know for sure this isn't possible. I believe that's everything I needed! Thanks again! I'll try to avoid XY problems in the future since I never knew that was a phenomenon. I called it "Problem Nest". – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 17:02

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Sometimes the answer to a question is:

Don't do that!

Instead:

  • Download the GPartEd Live CD (based on nothing else but Ubuntu!)
  • Wite it to a CD/DVD/USB
  • Boot that
  • Use that to do anything you want on any system (Linux / Window$ / combinations / ...)
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Fabby
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  • I won't do that and I'll stick with any other method including USB, CD/DVD, or a memory stick since I've got those all working right away in the past. Thanks again for your help! That's everything I needed! – hacker23ify Aug 18 '17 at 17:05
  • You're welcome @hacker23ify. Favour returned, question upvoted! :) – Fabby Aug 21 '17 at 16:05