Dual-boot using BIOS to switch instead of bootloader?

Question

Whenever I set up a dual-booting machine, the bootloader feels magical and precarious. Sometimes Windows just decides to overwrite it, I wouldn't know how to repair GRUB or remove it and install it fresh myself without risking breaking everything, etc.But if I've got the two systems on separate drives, couldn't I just let them each pretend they're the only thing installed - each with its own bootloader - and configure my BIOS to always prompt me for which boot media to use? That seems much simpler and safer. Is this something people do? Are there any downsides to doing it this way?

Nextgrid · Accepted Answer

Windows may still nuke the bootloader on other drives or do something weird like putting its bootloader on a different drive than the one it's actually being installed to. I've had this issue when installing Windows 10 on a machine with two drives, one of which containing Linux - after installation Linux was no longer bootable as if its bootloader was overwritten despite being on a separate drive.

rahimnathwani · Answer

Yes, this is exactly right. There's no downside except the obvious:1. Money for a second drive2. Your laptop doesn't have space for a second internal drive