I have the latest version of Ubuntu installed on my laptop. I think of this as my "production" version. There are certain things I don't want to mess with on it. I'd like a separate sandbox environment on the same machine where I can test out an alpha version or whatever else I consider more risky without messing up my day-to-day work when I need it. I don't want a VM because I want to be able to, among other things, test my hardware (e.g. will my camera work?).
How can I install another version of ubuntu on the same computer and uninstall it without messing up my system?
Ideally I'd be able to
- Install a new "sandbox" version of ubuntu along side (dual boot) my existing version
- Be able to boot into my sandbox or production version whenever I want.
- Get rid of my sandbox version whenever I decide to and leave my system just as it was before I installed it.
Steps 1 & 2 are pretty simple. What I am having trouble with is how to solve for item 3? I notice that when I install Ubuntu the newest installed version takes over GRUB. This is a pain because it means that when I delete that partition I am left with a system that doesn't work.
Note: I originally wrote this question a while ago and got some responses then. I have just updated the question and hoping someone has some ideas. thanks!