[Help] making a persistent Debian live install from Windows - eviltoast

Hello Everyone,

I have a Windows laptop that I want to run Linux on. Due to the drivers being encrypted (on install, from the factory), I can’t repartition the drive and dual boot.

My plan is to run a live install from a USB stick. I’ve tried a live Debian ISO, and it works fine for my purposes (WebDev).

However, the live install isn’t persistent, and doesn’t use all the space on the 64gb usb stick for storage.

There are tutorials online that show how to make a live install while already running Linux, but for some reason, the live install doesn’t see anything plugged into the other usb slots.

So, my question is, how do I get a persistent, usable version of Debian on a USB stick from Windows?

Thanks,

-BX

Edit: Laptop is a HP Envy, with touchscreen. The reason for keeping windows is that (as of yet) I have not found a way to use the touch-screen/pen combo with Linux. Being able to boot off USB will allow me to test solutions without losing what works

  • bataklik@lemmy.world
    2·
    1 year ago

    You can install linux on a usb stick instead of your hard disk. i have done it before. But i don’t really remember the steps. I have done it trial and error.

    • Dandroid@sh.itjust.works
      4·
      1 year ago

      I did it recently. I just plugged a live USB into one USB slot and an empty USB stick into another slot. I unplugged my NVMe while I did it so it wouldn’t install grub on my Windows SSD.

    • r0b0@sopuli.xyz
      3·
      1 year ago

      Yes, OP, this is the way. And if you cannot do this on this laptop, do the installation on another and use the resulting USB drive.