When installing Linux to the second hard disk, you need to pay attention to the following steps: 1. Make sure that the computer has two hard disks and prepare Linux installation media; 2. Make sure that the second hard disk has no important data, download ISO and create a boot USB disk; 3. Enter the BIOS settings to boot from the USB disk; 4. Select the correct hard disk partition (such as /dev/sdb) during installation, create EFI, root partition and optional /home partition; 5. Install the boot loader to the target hard disk; 6. After restarting, select the boot disk through the boot menu or BIOS. The entire process needs to be operated with caution to avoid accidentally deleting the main system data and ensure that the boot is installed correctly.

It is actually not difficult to install Linux to the second hard drive. Just pay attention to a few key points and you can complete it smoothly. You don't need to move the original system disk, just install Linux on the second hard disk, and then select the boot disk through the BIOS or the boot menu.

Preparation: Confirm the hardware and installation media

Before you start, make sure your computer has two hard drives and the second one is correctly connected and recognized. You can go to the BIOS to view hard disk information, or use the disk management tool to check in the current system.

You need to prepare a bootable Linux installation USB or CD image. Mainstream distributions like Ubuntu, Debian or Fedora are recommended, which are more novice-friendly.

• Confirm that the second hard disk has no important data (it will be formatted during installation)
• Download the ISO image file and create a boot USB drive
• After inserting the USB drive, restart the computer, enter the BIOS settings to boot from the USB drive

Select the correct hard disk during installation

When you start from the USB drive and enter the installation interface, be especially careful when partitioning. The installer will usually let you choose "Auto Install" or "Manual Partition". If you just want to install Linux on the second hard drive, don't select the option "Erase the entire disk" unless you are sure that the block is the second hard drive.

In the partition interface:

• Find the second hard drive (usually /dev/sdb )
• Create a boot partition for it (EFI partition if the motherboard is in UEFI mode)
• Create root partition / (at least 20GB is recommended)
• You can consider dividing /home partitions separately to save personal data
• Don't touch any partition on the first hard drive

After completing the partition, continue the installation process. Remember to install the bootloader on the second hard disk (for example /dev/sdb ), otherwise it may not start normally.

How to switch the system when starting

After the installation is complete, unplug the installation USB drive and restart the computer. At this time, you need to press the shortcut key (such as F12, Esc or other brand specified keys) when powering on to enter the boot menu, and then select Boot from the second hard disk.

If you want to switch back to the original system in the future, you can set the default boot disk in the BIOS, or use the GRUB boot menu (provided that GRUB is installed in the boot area of ??the second hard disk).

Note: Some motherboards may be confused when detecting the hard disk order. If the startup fails, you can try to re-enter the BIOS to check the hard disk order.

Basically that's it. The most important thing to pay attention to during operation is not to mistakenly delete the content of the hard disk where the main system is located, and to ensure that the boot program is written to the correct hard disk. Although the steps seem a bit too many, it is not a big problem as long as you take it step by step.

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