Guys I have an extra laptop it works fine but doesn’t have a hard drive. I have an internal hard drive but the laptops connection cable is broken so I cannot plug it. I was thinking of getting one of those hard drive enclosures and use it as an external hard drive and install windows on it. But on the other hand I have options to install it on flash drives. But the thing is when I transfer files using USB 3 port, flash drives speed is 10-15mb/s and external hard drives is 90-100mb/s. So I don’t know what to do. Any suggestions?
Laptop without Hdd, Should I Install a Windows on a USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive? What’s The Difference?
behindmyego on 12/07/2019 - 19:28
Last edited 12/07/2019 - 21:26 by 1 other user
Last edited 12/07/2019 - 21:26 by 1 other user
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You can get a faster USB flash drive such as the SanDisk Extreme 16GB USB Drive which would score 190MB/s write, 200MB/s read.
If you have an integrated SD card reader/writer in your laptop, then you can get SanDisk Exteme Pro 128GB SDXC (Read 170MB/s, Write 90MB/s) which will give you bigger storage at reasonable price.
Yes it does but the thing is it’s a second laptop and I don’t wanna spend much money 😂 like I wanna use whatever I have. I have a 64gb and 128gb micro sd cards and a USB 3 sd card reader. But it writes about 10-15mb/s. And the hdd is 750gb 2.5” internal hdd. So my question is, is it better to use the USB card reader and use one of the sd cards to install windows (which I’ve tried and turned out to be too slow) or use an external hdd enclosure to use the hdd. Also I am not sure if the sd cards are slow or the USB 3 card reader is
does the laptop have a dvd drive?
No it doesn’t
you might be better off buying a trashed exact same model -smashed screen, keyboard etc. but working motherboard/HDD connection and then transplanting MB into your Laptop
Even if I get a cable, the motherboard internal hdd slot is damaged
You won't be able to install normal Windows to an external hard-disk or USB flash drive.
Only Windows-To-go is supported like that, and even then only on drives that meet performance requirements.
Yep I know. I was just looking for a way around or if I install windows to go, which one would be faster? External hdd or flash drive?
You can use something like macrium reflect to clone windows to a USB. Then you can boot from the USB just fine.
Oh ok. Thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it. Btw I forgot to mention. It has a sad card slot but it doesn’t have option to boot from it on bios. So I only have USB option. Speed wise I think the external hdd is better don’t you think?
An external SSD would be best
I mean…. I get the whole idea of not wanting to spend any money or whatever, but if you're going to be using this for any decent amount of time per week, I would seriously recommend replacing the laptops Hard Drive Connection Cable and getting a cheap SSD, being able to run the laptop and move it around without having to worry if a bump will cause your computer to lose connection with the USB Drive will be a much more comfortable experience.
I'm not sure what connection cable you would need for your specific laptop, so I'll leave that up to you, but this is an example of an acceptably fast Crucial SSD 120GB for less than $40, (you can get better models like Samsung if you want to pay a higher price).
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Crucial-BX500-120GB-NAND-2-5-inch/…
Ebay Link: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SSD-120GB-240GB-480GB-Crucial-BX…I just had an experience going through something like this, my mom's 10 year old laptop running Windows 7 had a HDD that was just insanely worn out and slow, it would take 20 mins just to boot up, let alone the slow time's for running simple programs like Chrome. I took out the HDD and put in a new SSD with a fresh install of Windows 10 and re-installed the necessary driver's and programs for the laptop, and it honestly better than new. Boot time is 1 min, all her applications run super fast and we don't have any reason to waste money on a new laptop. All up I spent $40 for the SSD because I already had a 2.5" Sata to USB connector laying around. I couldn't be happier.
NOTES:
-You would benefit alot from a USB to 2.5" connector OR a 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure as you will likely need to partition the SSD with a WORKING laptop before you put it into your EXTRA laptop and it will come in handy if you need to access your old Hard Drive for any reason.
-On a separate point, I also vacuumed out the fan vent of the laptop because it had alot of built-up dust over the years which is obviously very bad for cooling.Really need to know laptop model, it might have an extra port for an another ssd / hdd.
so the hdd doesnt connect to motherboard straight away. need a cable. even if i buy the cable i cannot connect it to motherboard because it is damaged. so i cant even connect a ssd. only option i have is usb. laptop is toshiba satellite radius l40dw
Oh, you're saying the motherboard itself is damaged?
yes only the part that connects to hdd. its just the black plastic that holds the cable on board is gone so even if i get a cable, i cant get it to keep it on motherboard
Wow, odd issue to have I guess, probably not worth the headache depending on how old the laptop is
Get a new cable.
Can you post a photo of the internal HDD and cable? The cable probably won't be that expensive.