Putting Windows on an External Drive, with Linux as Daily Driver (Beginner)

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hello! I have been considering Linux for a while, and have been thinking about switching to openSUSE ahead of Windows 10 EOS’ing in October. I chose this since it was one of the recommendations on Privacy Guides, and it was my top recommendation when going through Distrochooser. That being said, I still have a few questions and inquiries that I hope the people of this forum can help me with:

1. Having Linux on my machine, and Windows on an external drive
From what I understand the license shouldn’t be an issue since it is baked into the motherboard (based on my very limited research). I guess from my view, I am wondering how to even accomplish this. I will have a 1tb SSD and will have it upgraded to windows 11. Windows on an external drive are for a few apps that just will not work on Linux.

2. Tumbleweed vs MicroOS
This is coming from a stability standpoint. From what I read, atomic distros can be more secure in avoiding update corruptions. I guess I need a third party to tell me which one would be best suited for me (and if MicroOS can be used as a desktop at all).

3. Device Compatibility
I want to install openSUSE on my 2021 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 Laptop (GA401QM). Is there anything extra I should be doing when installing on this device? I found this guide, but it does not seem to have been updated in two years. I was wondering if I would be missing anything that has happened since that guide was published.

2

Welcome to the forum!!

  1. “license is baked into the motherboard”. Not sure what that means. The license is associated with the install, not in the MOBO.
    .
    Since you’re upgrading to Win11, why not simply upgrade to W11, then install openSUSE on a second drive, or in a virtual machine (?)

  2. That decision should be made from the user’s point of view. Do you want to do daily updates, with possible issues now and then? Or the occasional update with less involvement (?).

  3. My opinion would be, only folks with knowledge of that very particular hardware can reliably answer.

3

You can perfectly do this. But Win11 on an external drive won’t make it run if the machine is not Win11 compatible and a Win10 install will try to move it there. Go openSUSE only and use a Windows VM

4

Many hardware vendors ship systems with pre-activated Windows key embedded in the motherboard. You will not be able to use this key anywhere else.

1 Like
5

I assume that means MicroOS can be used as a desktop? Is there anything I have to do differently compared to tumbleweed?

This is what I briefly read online

My laptop is recent enough to be Win11 compatible, at least that is what I think you are referring to. Can you clarify what you mean by, “a Win10 install will try to move it there”?

It would be more cost saving to use the Windows VM instead of nabbing another external drive. I guess I wonder if the license would still apply? For more context, I still need windows for Adobe products for my profession. Wine seems to run some of them fine last time I checked, but I think there’s more tinkering involved, and in case it doesn’t work I want windows for my backup.