Mageia forum

I am using Mageia 8 and noticed there was no option to install without installing a bootloader. I already had one installed since I also had Arch Linux and Ubuntu both installed onto my system.

There is no option to not install the GRUB software, but there is an option to not use it for booting your system...

I guess you are using Cauldron - Mageia 8 doesn't exist yet - and hence must be using the netinstall ISO image. At the end of the installation, you reach a summary screen. There you can click on a button to configure the bootloader. At the Bootloader Main Options screen, click on Next to proceed to the Bootloader Configuration screen. There, click on Advanced to bring up the advanced options and tick the box labelled "Do not touch ESP or MBR". Click on OK, click through the warning, and click on Next to return to the summary screen. Now finish the installation. Don't be concerned about the message "Installing bootloader" - it is only installing the GRUB software in your new system partition and won't replace your existing bootloader.

Alternatively, if you have a UEFI BIOS and use the rEFInd boot manager, at the Bootloader Main Options screen select rEFInd as the bootloader to use. If the installer detects that rEFInd is installed in the ESP, it won't automatically replace it (rEFInd can automatically detect new systems, so there is no need). The rEFInd software will still be installed in your new system, so that it is available to be used if needed.