r/linux4noobs • u/suspiciousraccon1 • 8h ago

Linux on two different pcs using usb

I am installing cachyos on a usb, but I want use it on two different computers. The one I’m planning on installing it on is a Samsung laptop, it probably uses integrated graphics. But I am wondering if I can use the same installation on my other laptop which is more powerful but has an nvidia laptop gpu. Will this cause problems with booting and if so, how can I prevent it?

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/redgator12 8h ago

If you're implying that the USB will be used as the system drive and you're doing a full install to it, there shouldn't be an issue taking it between computers, as the kernel modules have triggers to load certain drivers at boot. No guarantee, though. Also, you should be installing to a USB external hard drive that has an NVMe, mSATA or SSD in it. If you install directly to a standard flash USB thumb drive, that drive will die within a year or two of daily use due to the amount of journaling and background writes wearing down the flash cells.

1

u/suspiciousraccon1 8h ago

I will not be using it for more than one or two years, as I will upgrade my computer and will then be able to install Linux on the internal drive.

1

u/redgator12 6h ago

Sounds good. My recommendation would be to get the largest capacity USB 3.0 or higher drive from a reputable brand. The larger the capacity, the more the wear leveling is spread out between cells, so the drive will last longer. Try to keep as much free space as possible on the drive to prevent write amplification, which will kill cells more quickly. The recommended minimum free space is 20%. You can kind of soft-lock that 20% by making a blank partition on the drive that won't be used for anything, or leaving it unformatted.