You got your answer, but the entire concept that you don't want to "dual boot" is flawed. You will be dual booting, regardless of whether Linux and Windows are on separate drives. The Linux grub boot manager will take care of presenting an option for Windows or Linux at startup. You are booting into one OS, or the other. I.e. dual booting.
Now, if you install GRUB on the 2nd disk, rather than the first disk boot sector, you will have to go into the BIOS each time and change the order of the boot devices, or press F11 to choose the boot device, each time. The function key to do this depends on your BIOS of course. I suggest letting the Linux installer put just GRUB on the boot sector of the Windows drive (C:, drive 0, sda, hda, whatever), and let software take care of it.
Ok, I'm not sure I understand some of this. As I said, I'm not a computer expert. I know the basics of how things work and maybe a bit more, but definitely not as much as most people on this forum.
I guess I just wanted to have two separate drives, so that Linux is on one and Windows on another, so that I can take either drive off the mobo at some point in the future if I wanted and install on another build. And also so windows doesn't do anything screwy to my Linux install. So I just assumed that installing Linux on it's own drive would be best.
Much like a lot of you, I don't like/trust Windows or almost any corporation and want to get away from using windows for the most part. I seriously think the only time I'll boot into Windows is to play games. Which is not often. Maybe 1-2 times at the most per week. Sometimes only 1-2 times a month. I want to completely transfer over all my day to day computer use to Linux and try to get away from using windows almost completely. I also already have a Macbook Air I use (I've had Macs for 20+ years, and it used to be my only computer for a long time until I built this computer I have now). And even though I have issues with Apple as well, the DE and how things work for the most part are flawless, super clean, aesthetically pleasing to my eyes and so easy on a Mac compared to windows. And that is why I was so drawn to Linux. Because of it's mostly free source, free of corporate interest, has a huge highly intelligent, vigilant community that allows it to be so great. Plus, I love how you can edit just about anything inside of the DE.
So anyways, back to the topic at hand, let me recap what I "think" you're saying to check if I'm following correctly.
Whether Linux is on the first drive along with Windows or on it's own drive, I still have to chose to boot either windows or linux? It's just a matter of booting one drive or the other, as opposed to booting one drive and then choosing one OS or another on that one drive? Correct? If that's the case, then again, I'm fine with my 2 drive setup and want Linux on it's own drive so there is ZERO chance of Windows affecting it in any way shape or form. And again, so that I can move that drive to another build at anytime in the future if I need/want. That's another thing I LOVE about Linux after doing so much research, is that the OS's can go on and on and on and on for 10, 15, 20 years or more on an older system flawlessly without having to upgrade. And maybe down the road, when this computer I built is old and slow and not cutting edge like it is now, I'll want to move either my windows "drive" or linux "drive" to a new build. And having them already setup on their each drive seems like a good idea.
Now the second part is where you are loosing me. I had to look up what GRUB is, and from what I gather, it's a bootloader for Linux? Which again, not really sure what that means. Sorry for my ignorance, that's why I'm here. So my best guess as to what GRUB bootloader does, is it just helps boot up Linux at the powering on of my computer? Instead of some windows boot program. Correct? And you are saying I will have to install GRUB on the new SSD and go into the BIOS to change the boot order every time or press F11 (or whatever button my mobo uses) and chose the drive to boot every time? Correct?
But isn't that the same process of a dual boot windows/linux drive? I'd have to use bios or chose at boot up, which OS to boot? So why does it matter what way I do it? I have to chose at the powering on of my computer which drive to boot or which OS to boot. So why not just have each OS on their own drive?
And I have no idea what the "Windows drive (C: drive 0, sda, hda, whatever) part means.
