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I have one Linux flavor installed on a laptop. Now I am at the desktop of this system, with a different Linux ISO downloaded and got sufficient free disk space.

From here, is it possible to install the downloaded Linux directly into the free hard disk space, creating a dual boot setup?

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  • You would need to arrange enough unallocated space on the disk for new partition(s) for the second installation.
    – harrymc
    Oct 31, 2019 at 12:16
  • Thanks, @harrymc. Yes, as mentioned in the question, sufficient free space is available
    – Chaminda
    Oct 31, 2019 at 12:22
  • Is the problem booting the second Linux from the ISO and without using bootable USB?
    – harrymc
    Oct 31, 2019 at 12:27
  • Yes, need to install a second Linux on free partition, without using a bootable media.
    – Chaminda
    Oct 31, 2019 at 12:48
  • serverfault.com/questions/989918/… ? I don't know, if I should copy that answer here. Oct 31, 2019 at 13:13

1 Answer 1

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The procedure for Ubuntu is described in the article
How to Boot Linux ISO Images Directly From Your Hard Drive.

The not-so-simple procedure uses GRUB2 and is summarized below:

  • To create a GRUB2 Boot Entry edit this file

    sudo gedit /etc/grub.d/40_custom
    
  • Add a new boot entry that may look like this (use your values):

    menuentry “Ubuntu 14.04 ISO” {
    set isofile=”/home/name/Downloads/ubuntu-14.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso”
    loopback loop (hd0,1)$isofile
    linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz.efi boot=casper iso-scan/filename=${isofile} quiet splash
    initrd (loop)/casper/initrd.lz
    }
    
  • Save the file and run the command:

    sudo update-grub
    
  • On the next boot you’ll see this boot entry and can choose it to boot the ISO file. You may have to hold Shift while booting to see the GRUB menu.

You may find more details and useful notes in the article itself.

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