When you reach the summary screen at the end of the install, it will display a line like this:

  Bootloader - grub2-graphic on /dev/sda

If that is the wrong disk, you need to click on the adjacent Configure button to change it. That will present the Bootloader Main Options screen, and the Boot device is selected via a drop=down list.

I believe the default is the first disk found where a bootloader can be installed, so not necessarily the disk you are installing on.

If your disk has a GPT partition table, or if you are using UEFI boot, you need to take extra care in the installer partitioning step to make sure there is somewhere for the bootloader to be installed. For legacy boot on a GPT partitioned disk, you need to create a small BIOS Boot partition. For UEFI boot you need to create an EFI system partition (ESP). If the installer finds those on another disk, it won't insist you create extra ones.

It would be nice if the installer noticed that you are installing onto a removable device, and warned you if the bootloader is going to be installed on a different device. You could make this an enhancement request.

CC: (none) => mageia

I remember having hit similar problem in the past, somethign like i installed a system that was intended to be removable in a big USB stick, but forgot to tell it where to put bootloader.

Maybe it should, if more than one drive apart from the installer stick/DVD is found: 

a) Always ask where to put the bootloader
b) default the answer to the disk where /boot or / is.

CC: (none) => fri
Summary: M8 installer writes boot loader to the wrong drive => Add some user guidance to where to put bootloader.
Component: RPM Packages => Installer

Thanks Morgan. One of my issues is if the computer you are using the primary HD/SSD has Windows installed and you are trying to install M8 on a bootable USB drive from lets say a M8 x86_64 Live-DVD on a real DVD drive. You run a high risk of blowing up the Windows boot sector. I was able to easily rescue the M7 install with the M7 CI. I have no idea how to do that with a Windows drive.

(In reply to Martin Whitaker from comment #1) 
> If your disk has a GPT partition table, or if you are using UEFI boot, you
> need to take extra care in the installer partitioning step to make sure
> there is somewhere for the bootloader to be installed.

My intention here is to start with a completely blank USB or (micro)SD card such that the only thing on that removable device will be the single instance of the desired OS. Like only M8, x86_64, Plasma and nothing else.

I have since put some time into working this issue. The target platform is an older Dell (2011) laptop and soon a new Dell Inspiron 15 5000. The best way to insure that the internal SSD/HD does not get written to is to go into the BIOS and turn off the SATA interface and make sure you can boot from USB. The steps are as follows:

1. In BIOS turn off SATA channel(s)
2. Ensure that USB boot is enabled
3. Insert bootable Live-DVD USB flash drive ( M8 x86_64 Plasma )
4. Boot to Live-DVD desktop using the F12 boot menu
5. Once your in the M8 desktop insert blank USB Drive
6. Ensure that the Live-DVD desktop sees the blank drive installed
7. Execute a normal install as the installer will see the blank
   USB drive as the install target.
8. When install is completed and you are prompted to restart to
   laptop execute a complete power down.
9. Remove Live-DVD flash drive
10. Power on laptop and repeatedly press the F12 key for the boot menu.
11. Select the USB storage device from the boot menu
12. Continuing the laptop should boot to the newly created USB drive
    install and act as a normal SSD or HD. Performance is dependent
    on USB drive performance and sometimes can be quite good.

Once you confirm that you have a successful bootable USB drive reboot the laptop to the BIOS setup and turn the SATA channel back on. Saving that and rebooting again depressing the F12 will present you with either the internal SSD/HD or USB drive boot options, both of which should boot normally.

I have made a number of changes to the installer to address this issue. It will now notice that you are installing on a removable drive and by default ensure that your installation only affects that drive (you will be able to override that if you use Custom Partitioning and spread your partitions over multiple disks).

I'm just waiting for the big Perl update to finish and Cauldron to settle down before publishing the changes

The new installer stage2 image is on the mirrors, so you can test it with a netinstall.

Note that by default, if you install on a removable device, the UEFI bootloader will be \EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI (instead of \EFI\mageia\grubx64.efi), and the EFI NVRAM will not be modified. You will need to use your BIOS boot menu to boot from it (unless you use the rEFInd boot manager, in which case it will be automatically detected and appear in your boot menu).

Thanks Martin.

Have you tried to use:

Mageia-Cauldron-netinstall-x86_64.iso

I just tried to use this netinstall iso
in a Vbox client and it would not boot.

No, I've been testing trial builds of the CI and Live ISOs. I don't normally have much to do with the netinstall ISOs.

(In reply to Martin Whitaker from comment #9)
> No, I've been testing trial builds of the CI and Live ISOs. I don't normally
> have much to do with the netinstall ISOs.

Keep a going Martin

I've a brand spanking new Dell laptop with the Intel UHD Graphics here.
Gnome Live-dvd and Xfce Live-DVD are happy with that. Plasma is complaining.
I'm trying to put together a proper bug for that today.

It's lighting fast with the Gnome and Xfce Live-DVD on a USB Flash Drive

The changes described in comments 6 and 7 are included on the released alpha 1 ISOs, so closing as fixed.

Resolution: (none) => FIXED
Status: NEW => RESOLVED

(In reply to Martin Whitaker from comment #11)
> The changes described in comments 6 and 7 are included on the released alpha
> 1 ISOs, so closing as fixed.

Super deal.
Thanks