I’ve an old Asus laptop currently running AntiX. I’d like to install Dietpi on the same pc as a boot option. Can this be done and if so how exactly? With some other distros there’s an automatic option at install to create a dual boot system, but AFIK not with Dietpi.
probably a question for AntiX on how to modify grub bootloader to allow a 2nd system. Basically DietPi is nothing else than a Debian. Means, you could use Debian netinstall and setup a plain Debian first. Once done, use our PREP script to install DietPi on top. https://dietpi.com/docs/hardware/#make-your-own-distribution
Thanks, Joulinar, I’ll enquire on their forum.
Just to follow up, DietPi would need to be installed first because it wipes the entire drive on install. AntiX can then be installed as it recognizes any other installed OS.
Yes DietPi images always fill the whole drive as they include the bootloader. You can manually extract and flash the partitions only, but note that a grub update during first boot might override the bootloader again. So at best use the Automation_Custom_PreScript.sh (create it at first FAT partition) to purge the grub packages to prevent this. Note that there are some DietPi scripts trying to configure grub (console resolution in dietpi-config at least) which will then fail.
If you install (and boot) DietPi first, do the same (purging grub packages) before installing AntiX or any other OS which includes and shall control the bootloader.
Thanks for the info. For now, I’ve installed RPi Desktop OS as it recognizes AntiX, which was already installed & configured. (Though the grub file needed editing to show “menu” in order to show Rpi OS at boot up.) When I have more time to install dietpi first & reinstall AntiX, I’ll give it a go.
You could use our PREP script if you have RPi OS running. This should transform it into DietPi.
I didn’t realize that was possible - very cool:)
Wait wait, “RPi Desktop OS” means a Debian x86_64 image with the RPi LXDE desktop variation installed, it is NOT a RPi OS 
. Transforming this via PREP will reinstall the bootloader onto the root partitions drive. So if that matches the AntiX drive, it will purge its bootloader as well. We run os-proper to add other OSes to the new grub config, though.
Or do I fully misunderstand something as you mention “Asus laptop” in OP?
Thanks for the heads up before I tried to run PREP! Yes, it’s an old pc laptop, not a raspberry pi. So no PREP-type slimming script for Rpi desktop OS?
Not without manual modifications. Also note that there is not really an “RPi desktop OS” but it is a regular Debian with the RPi repository added which allows to install (and ships pre-installed) the modified LXDE, but the desktop is purged by PREP, so it doesn’t make much sense to use it as basis for PREP. And the main issue still is that the bootloader is overwritten .
But actually, is there an issue with the DietPi-controlled grub as bootloader? As said, PREP installs os-prober temporarily before creating the grub config so any other OS should be selectable from the grub menu at boot. I’m not 100% sure whether this is kept when grub is upgraded later, I guess you need to install again the os-prober package for that and keep it installed.
And also then grub should be uninstalled on AntiX so that there are no two grub packages which flash the bootloader back and forth. Or remove it from DietPi so that it is controlled by AntiX only.
Long-term we’d need a non-bootloader DietPi image, containing a singe partition only and no partition table so that it keeps bootloader and existing partitions in place 
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Thx Micha. So for the moment, a clean install of Dietpi, followed by installing AntiX would be the only option for dual boot.