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run windows from flash drive without installing on PC?

Anonymous
2023-01-28T14:56:41+00:00

I've recently switched to another operating system but can't run some windows programs easily. is it possible to load a version of windows onto a USB drive, and run it from there? I do not want two OSs on my system and would just need a windows installation with basic functionality, and if I could pop a flash drive into a usb port, and boot windows from it when needed, that would be perfect.

Windows for home | Other | Install and upgrade

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  1. LightJack 05 2,575 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-01-28T18:42:24+00:00

    Hi,

    a flash drive probably won't work, since they are too slow to boot windows from.

    However, something I've been doing for quite some time is using an internal SATA SSD (256GB should be plenty), installing Windows on that, and then plugging it in via a USB adapter. However, before installing, you should unplug any other drives from the system, because Windows tends to put the ESP in random places when you have multiple drive connected.

    However, you could also dual-boot Windows with your current OS. I would still recommend a secondary drive (like that 256GB Sata drive if you can).

    Generally, OSes give the option to dual-boot on installation. I assume you switched to Linux? Generally Linux allows you to choose between wiping and dual-booting when there is a Windows installation already detected. Doing it the other way around is going to be a bit more complicated.

    You'll need to install Windows without overwriting GRUB from Linux (I'm assuming you're using GRUB, and not systemd-boot/gummiboot or something else).

    Once installed, you can run a command like "sudo update-grub" to update the bootloader entries in GRUB. If it detects windows, it should ask you which one to boot upon startup.

    Sincerely,

    LightJack

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-02-21T01:09:54+00:00

    Probably it could be interesting in dual booting. But when there is a possibility to use WSL then why to use dual boot system.

    Another thing that could be more fun is that if someone would develop Linux subsystem for windows opposite to WSL.

    :)

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  3. Aymeric-B 29,265 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-01-28T15:32:44+00:00

    Hello ! I'm Aymeric, and I'm here to help !

    Unfortunately, you cannot create a portable install of Windows on a flash drive. The Windows installer does not support this feature, and globally, USB drives are too slow to give you a great user experience.

    You might find references to Windows To Go on the web, but this tool has been deprecated since Windows 10 version 2004, and hence cannot be used anymore.

    Sorry for the inconvenience..

    Feel free to ask if you have any other question !

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