How to Create a Laptop Computer on a USB Drive
Now that many of us subscribe to cloud storage services , USB drives aren’t as common as they used to be, but they still have their uses. One such use is to run an entire computer system entirely on a USB drive, which you can then take with you anywhere. Your files and apps are always with you, not left behind at home or in the office, and if you’re sitting at a new desk, you don’t have to waste time setting everything up the way you want – just plug in the drive. , and you’re ready to go.
How it works
Of course, you can’t take your entire computer with you on a USB drive—you’ll need a monitor, keyboard, motherboard, and everything else. However, all software and storage can be stored on a portable USB drive: If you have access to a computer with a free USB slot, you can run your laptop.
There is also no interference with the existing settings on the computer you are using, so you can borrow it from a colleague or friend without causing them any hassle. You reboot your computer, ask it to boot the USB drive rather than whatever is on the internal drive, and your operating system appears. When you’re done, turn off your computer, remove the USB drive, and you won’t leave any traces behind.
This is great if you’re constantly moving between locations and want to have access to the same desktop interface no matter where you are. It can also be useful if you’re trying to troubleshoot hardware setup issues or want to try out different operating systems without permanently installing anything on your computer.
However, you need to keep some caveats in mind. A USB drive isn’t as fast or capable as a full-fledged desktop or laptop, so you’re limited to basic computing tasks. This also doesn’t work on Macs due to their different architectures – if you need to run a separate system on macOS, the best approach is to set up a virtual machine .
OS selection
When it comes to choosing an operating system for your USB PC, you can use Windows if you want—using a third-party tool like WinToUSB —though you’ll need a paid license to do so, and the user interface won’t be the best. The best idea is to go for the Linux version: not only is the software free, but it’s also lighter, meaning you don’t put as much stress on the USB drive and everything should run more smoothly.
If you’re new to Linux, it’s an open-source desktop operating system that comes in a variety of flavors known as distributions. It doesn’t offer the same wide selection of software or hardware support as Windows or macOS, but it covers all the basic computer applications: you can surf the web, check email, do some work, edit images, and more on Linux.
When it comes to choosing which distribution you want to use, the choice is yours: almost any version of Linux can be run fairly easily from a USB drive. However, be sure to look in your distribution’s documentation for a feature called “persistence” – this means you’ll be able to save settings and files to a USB drive rather than starting over from scratch every time you boot. it’s up.
Ideally, you want to choose a distribution that is light and simple and provides the smoothest experience possible. Puppy Linux andLinux Lite are often recommended for this specific purpose, and Tails is great if security is a priority – it automatically connects to the Tor network when you go online. Ubuntu is also an excellent choice, offering a polished interface and plenty of help documentation.
Beginning
Go to the official website of your chosen Linux distribution, then look for the ISO download—essentially the entire operating system. These downloads can often be several gigabytes in size, so you may have to wait a while. It’s also worth checking your distribution’s documentation to see if there are any notes or recommendations regarding USB installation.
Next, you’ll need a program that will put the ISO on the USB drive – not just to copy the file, but to make the drive bootable. There are several options here, including Rufus , but for this guide we’ve chosen Etcher : it’s really easy to use, and you can run it on both Windows and macOS (and, indeed, Linux).
Launch Etcher and you will see three steps: Select Flash from File to select ISO from disk, then Select Target to select the USB drive connected to your computer, and then click Flash to complete the operation. For USB drives, we recommend at least 8GB of capacity, as well as the fastest read/write speeds you can find – you can find additional requirements on the pages of your chosen distribution.
After all this, you can use your USB drive by inserting it into a free USB port on any computer, then rebooting your computer and choosing to boot from the USB drive. There are different ways to do this, but it usually involves pressing a key to select the boot device while the computer boots—if you’re not sure, look for a message on the screen or check the documentation that came with your computer.