I currently have a Dell laptop that runs Windows for work. I use an external SSD via the Thunderbolt port to boot Linux allowing me to use the laptop as a personal device on a completely separate drive. All I have to do is F12 at boot, then select boot from USB drive.

However, this laptop is only using 1 of the 2 internal M.2 ports. Can I install Linux on a 2nd M.2 drive? I would want the laptop to normally boot Windows without a trace of the second option unless the drive is specified from the BIOS boot options.

Will this cause any issues with Windows? Will I be messing anything up? For the external drive setup, I installed Linux on a different computer, then transferred the SSD to the external drive. Can I do the same for the M.2 SSD – install Linux on my PC, then transfer that drive to the laptop?

Any thoughts or comments are welcome.

  • General_Shenanigans@lemmy.world
    0·
    8 months ago

    As many companies now use Bitlocker encryption, you’ll probably Bitlock your work partition by trying to install the second drive internally. IF YOU MUST boot to another drive, keep it external. And DO NOT unlock or mount your work partition in your personal OS. Really, though, you shouldn’t do this at all.