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Can I start up my computer and use it without an internal storage device?

BigRecoiilz
By BigRecoiilz
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Go to solution Solved by kelvinhall05,

You can run Linux natively off a USB, and it works great. But you need a third party tool and another computer to jankily get Windows on a USB, and even if you manage it (doesn't work half the time), it's absurdly slow and unusable.

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So I'm building my first gaming PC and I need only three more parts; my SSD, HDD, and my PSU. I will be purchasing my PSU in the next week or so but then I'll buy my storage devices after that. Can I use a USB flash drive to download Windows and boot my computer without an SSD or HDD? Or do I NEED to download it on an internal storage to use the computer.

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You need to download it on an internal drive or it will not boot 

PC: Motherboard: ASUS B550M TUF-Plus, CPU: Ryzen 3 3100, CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer 34, GPU: GIGABYTE WindForce GTX1650S, RAM: HyperX Fury RGB 2x8GB 3200 CL16, Case, CoolerMaster MB311L ARGB, Boot Drive: 250GB MX500, Game Drive: WD Blue 1TB 7200RPM HDD.

 

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Audio: Logitech G432, Moondrop Starfield, Mic: Razer Siren Mini (White).

 

Phone: Pixel 3a (Purple-ish).

 

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  • Solution

You can run Linux natively off a USB, and it works great. But you need a third party tool and another computer to jankily get Windows on a USB, and even if you manage it (doesn't work half the time), it's absurdly slow and unusable.

Quote me to see my reply!

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Not sure how it would work with Windows, but I have a USB drive with a full linux install and it works perfectly fine.  Windows may also be able to do that if you point it at the right external disk. 

If I have to explain every detail, I won't talk to you.  If you answer a question with what can be found through 10 seconds of googling, you've contributed nothing, as I assure you I've already considered it.

 

What a world we would be living in if I had to post several paragraphs every time I ask a question.

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Yup, no problem running linux distros but no Windows.

F@H
Desktop: i9-13900K, ASUS Z790-E, 64GB DDR5-6000 CL36, RTX3080, 2TB MP600 Pro XT, 2TB SX8200Pro, 2x16TB Ironwolf RAID0, Corsair HX1200, Antec Vortex 360 AIO, Thermaltake Versa H25 TG, Samsung 4K curved 49" TV, 23" secondary, Mountain Everest Max

Mobile SFF rig: i9-9900K, Noctua NH-L9i, Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX-AC, 32GB, GTX1070, 2x1TB SX8200Pro RAID0, 2x5TB 2.5" HDD RAID0, Athena 500W Flex (Noctua fan), Custom 4.7l 3D printed case

 

Asus Zenbook UM325UA, Ryzen 7 5700u, 16GB, 1TB, OLED

 

GPD Win 2

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Linux not Windows 10 - I have Manjaro on a USB 2.0 stick and it runs the same as when installed on a HDD basically

Workstation Laptop: Dell Precision 7540, Xeon E-2276M, 32gb DDR4, Quadro T2000 GPU, 4k display

Wifes Rig: ASRock B550m Riptide, Ryzen 5 5600X, Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6700 XT, 16gb (2x8) 3600mhz V-Color Skywalker RAM, ARESGAME AGS 850w PSU, 1tb WD Black SN750, 500gb Crucial m.2, DIYPC MA01-G case

My Rig: ASRock B450m Pro4, Ryzen 5 3600, ARESGAME River 5 CPU cooler, EVGA RTX 2060 KO, 16gb (2x8) 3600mhz TeamGroup T-Force RAM, ARESGAME AGV750w PSU, 1tb WD Black SN750 NVMe Win 10 boot drive, 3tb Hitachi 7200 RPM HDD, Fractal Design Focus G Mini custom painted.  

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 video card benchmark result - AMD Ryzen 5 3600,ASRock B450M Pro4 (3dmark.com)

Daughter 1 Rig: ASrock B450 Pro4, Ryzen 7 1700 @ 4.2ghz all core 1.4vCore, AMD R9 Fury X w/ Swiftech KOMODO waterblock, Custom Loop 2x240mm + 1x120mm radiators in push/pull 16gb (2x8) Patriot Viper CL14 2666mhz RAM, Corsair HX850 PSU, 250gb Samsun 960 EVO NVMe Win 10 boot drive, 500gb Samsung 840 EVO SSD, 512GB TeamGroup MP30 M.2 SATA III SSD, SuperTalent 512gb SATA III SSD, CoolerMaster HAF XM Case. 

https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/37004594?

Daughter 2 Rig: ASUS B350-PRIME ATX, Ryzen 7 1700, Sapphire Nitro+ R9 Fury Tri-X, 16gb (2x8) 3200mhz V-Color Skywalker, ANTEC Earthwatts 750w PSU, MasterLiquid Lite 120 AIO cooler in Push/Pull config as rear exhaust, 250gb Samsung 850 Evo SSD, Patriot Burst 240gb SSD, Cougar MX330-X Case

 

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