[Bug 1855874] Re: UEFI and dual boot: second Ubuntu installation overwrites /EFI/ubuntu (on ESP) from first Ubuntu installation

[Marc Deslauriers]

** Information type changed from Public Security to Public

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Title:
  UEFI and dual boot: second Ubuntu installation overwrites /EFI/ubuntu
  (on ESP) from first Ubuntu installation

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I want to dual boot between two Ubuntu installations (home vs work,
  etc). Unfortunately, when using the "something else" installation mode
  (which I must use for various reasons), the second Ubuntu installation
  overwrites the /EFI/ubuntu (on ESP) from the first Ubuntu
  installation, preventing me from booting into the first Ubuntu
  installation without workarounds.

  WORKAROUNDS:

  One workaround (which isn't ideal) is to force the /EFI/ubuntu for the
  second Ubuntu to be installed on a second ESP partition, so as to
  avoid overwriting /EFI/ubuntu for the first Ubuntu installation.
  (This can be done by resetting the flags for the original ESP from
  "esp" to "msftdata" using gparted, installing the second Ubuntu
  installation, and then changing the resetting the flags for the
  original ESP back to "esp" from "msftdata" using gparted.  Other
  workarounds are also possible.  But near as I can tell, pretty much
  all the workarounds are far from user friendly.

  SUGGESTIONS:

  1) At the very least, the Ubuntu installer should scan for previous
  instances of /EFI/ubuntu on the ESP, and if a previous instance of
  /EFI/ubuntu is found, ask whether to (1) overwrite the original, or
  (2) install to a new auto-generated location (such as /EFI/ubuntu2 or
  similar).

  2) A better option would, after the scan, in addition to providing an
  option to install to an auto-generated location, also provide a means
  to specify where second set of EFI files are installed.

  3) And the BEST option would be to add an option to specify the
  location during the "something else" install mode.  For example, using
  such an option in the “something else” installation mode, some may
  want one installation to /EFI/ubuntu-work and another installation to
  /EFI/ubuntu-home, or similar.  And ideally, such an option would even
  allow selecting to which ESP (if two disks having ESPs are present)
  the EFI files should be installed.

  EDIT 1: As an aside, I'll just add that, even after the above
  mentioned workaround (creating a second ESP), at least for me, the
  second Ubuntu installation won't show up as a grub entry on the first
  installation (and the first Ubuntu installation won't show up as a
  grub entry on the second installation).  Rather, to select which
  installation boots requires a UEFI boot manager, such as the rEFInd
  boot loader (by Rod Smith) or the system's built in UEFI manager.

  EDIT 2: I'll also note that, at least when using the "something else"
  installation mode (which I must use for various reasons), attempting
  to install Ubuntu Mate alongside Ubuntu also results in above
  described bug.  That is, installing Ubuntu Mate also overwrites
  previous instances of /EFI/ubuntu on the ESP.  So, in addition to
  affecting those who (for whatever) reason want two or more
  installations of vanilla Ubuntu, this also affect those who want dual
  boot between Ubuntu flavors (or at least that's the case for Ubuntu
  Mate).  For the bug report discussing Ubuntu Mate, please see
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-mate/+bug/1855896

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