I'm working in a field where I rely heavily on applications that only run on Windows, and virtual machines are too resource-heavy for my needs. I can't repartition my internal drive, so I have a clean 512GB NVMe external drive that I'm considering for a Linux installation. I've always been curious about Linux and want to learn more for personal interest, but I also need to maintain my Windows 11 setup on my internal drive. Can I install Linux on this external drive connected via USB? How will I be able to switch between Windows and Linux? Does it automatically boot into Linux when the external drive is connected, or is there an option to choose the OS when booting?
5 Answers
I’m currently running Linux from a USB. Direct installations work fine on external drives. I have a clone of my internal drive on an external NVMe and it runs smoothly. Just remember to label them so you don’t get confused between the two setups!
To choose between the two OS, it usually depends on your system. You can try pressing F12 during boot to get a selection menu. That's a common way to switch between installed operating systems.
I've installed Linux on a USB flash drive before, and it worked well, so you should have no problem with the NVMe drive. Just ensure the boot partition is set up on your external drive, not your Windows drive. If troubleshooting, physically removing the Windows drive can help during the Linux installation.
Good tip! Just keep in mind to check that the boot partition is right—would hate to mess up the Windows setup.
You’ll need two USB devices for the setup: one for the Linux installer and another as the target for installation. If you want, you can also temporarily disable your internal disk in BIOS during installation to keep Windows safe. Just make sure to back up any important files before you start, that's always smart!
Right, backing up is a must! Just in case anything goes sideways.
I'm assuming you have to go into BIOS to select the external drive each time you want to boot into Linux. Seems logical, similar to booting from a live USB.
I've heard about something called GRUB that helps with the OS choice, is that true?