Can i use a 64GB usb as a external hard drive?

Slam

Slam

New Member
i was wondering if i could use a 64gb usb flash disk as a hard drive for my computer. if so would i be able to install an operating system on it and boot from that?
 
As far as functionality goes, there really is no difference between a flash drive and an external hard drive. As long as your motherboard allows booting from USB, there is no reason you can run an OS off of a flash drive.
 
PohTayToez said:
As far as functionality goes, there really is no difference between a flash drive and an external hard drive. As long as your motherboard allows booting from USB, there is no reason you can run an OS off of a flash drive.
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Thanks
 
^ that.

The only issue there is that you have to format the drive to NTFS. There's always a chance of bricking flash drives when you do that.

Otherwise, yeah it'll work fine.
 
Installing from a USB is fine. That's not what I said.

I said, Windows will not boot from a USB drive. That's what the
OP asked.
 
PohTayToez said:
there is no reason you can run an OS off of a flash drive.
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This is completely false. This is a BAD idea for a main computer. Flash drives have limits on how many times you can rewrite on them. Think about it, how often are things changed in windows?

People do it for carputers but they still have to modify the OS and make it leave less of a footprint in order to do it, and it still eventually will die.
 
Fact is you can get it to work but an USB flash drive is hooked up via usb is gonna slower then an interal IDE or SATA drive will be. If you don't know how to do this yourself and you have to hack the OS and the hardware to get it to work your going to have issues.
 
Bodaggit23 said:
Interesting. I stand corrected.

Doesn't look like a fully functional OS though, mainly for repair, but none the less, I guess it can be done.
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You can install windows straight from a windows install CD onto a flashdrive, and it's absolutely no different than installing onto a hard drive. I've done it.

Flaring Afro said:
This is completely false. This is a BAD idea for a main computer. Flash drives have limits on how many times you can rewrite on them. Think about it, how often are things changed in windows?

People do it for carputers but they still have to modify the OS and make it leave less of a footprint in order to do it, and it still eventually will die.
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That used to be a concern when flash memory was new. Today's flash drives can generally last millions of rewrites.
 
^ Within a year that is completely possible. Plus, there isnt really a point to doing it. The only reason why carputer people do it is because if they have a cold winter, a hard drive can't start in freezing temperatures.
 
Flaring Afro said:
^ Within a year that is completely possible. Plus, there isnt really a point to doing it. The only reason why carputer people do it is because if they have a cold winter, a hard drive can't start in freezing temperatures.
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Since when can a hard drive not start in freezing temperatures? You know, there is a trick to recovering data on a hard drive that has the click of death. You stick it in a freezer over night, then hook it up and sometimes you can get it to work long enough to recover the data from it. Sounds like black magic, but it works.

I would imagine flash memory being good for a carputer not because of temperatures, but because the constant vibration and jolting off the car is likely very bad on a standard hard drive.
 
^ many have fluids in them and wont. Starting it daily in extremely low temperatures is definitely asking for it to fail.

  • Will extremely cold or hot temperatures cause problems with my hard drive?
You bet. Every electronic component has an optimum temperature range for operation. If the temperature is far enough outside that range, the component won't work.

Hard drives have fluid bearings. Any fluid can freeze if it gets cold enough, including the lubricant inside the hard drive. If the hard drive starts to spin up (which happens as you boot your PC), the platters will not turn because the fluid isn't viscous enough to allow the platters to spin at the proper speed. As a result, your computer will either not boot at all with an error at POST or it will boot up and give data access errors once booted.
The heat will have the opposite effect on the bearing lubricant, making it too liquid, and not providing adequate lubrication. This is less common than a hard drive in the extreme cold, but I have seen it happen. The poor lubrication will cause excess friction and heat and possibly drive failure.
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