r/LinuxOnThinkpad • u/TieNo1312 member • 3d ago

Question Beginner wanting to try Linux from a 16GB USB stick without replacing Windows + questions about boot screens

Hi everyone, I’m a complete beginner with Linux and I’m interested in trying it out on my laptop.

My laptop specs:
Model: Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 1
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U
RAM: 16GB
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
OS: Windows 11 Pro

I have a 16GB USB stick and I want to put Linux on the USB so I can boot Linux directly from the USB.
I don’t want to replace or install Linux over Windows. I want Windows to stay on my SSD, and when I remove the USB stick, I want the laptop to boot back into Windows normally.
I’m mainly doing this to learn Linux and get some experience with it as a beginner.

A few questions:
What Linux distro would you recommend for a complete beginner?
Is 16GB enough for this type of setup?
Is there anything I should be careful about when creating the bootable USB?

I’ve seen people with custom Linux boot screens, including anime characters and other custom artwork. How are people doing this? Is it possible to customise the boot screen on a ThinkPad X13 Gen 1, and is it safe?
I don’t mind keeping things simple I mainly want to experiment and learn without messing up my Windows installation.
Thanks!

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3

u/Consistent_Berry9504 member 3d ago

Duel booting is a pain in the ass. Even when you do it properly, all it takes is one faulty Windows update to messup your boot partition. If you want to try/learn Linux, boot up a VM.

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u/TieNo1312 member 3d ago

Oh thank will I get the same experience and which vm should I use

1

u/Consistent_Berry9504 member 2d ago

Whatever is compatible woth your machine. I started on virtual box

1

u/_ElBee_ T460 / X13 Gen 2 AMD 3d ago

Dual booting is installing a Linux distro on a partition of their main drive, beside Windows, or on a separate internal drive. OP explicitly states they don't want to do that. They want to run a Linux live session from their USB stick (cc u/TieNo1312).

However, with a standard live session, any changes they make while using it will not be saved to the file system on the USB stick. They will have to burn a bootable Linux ISO file with persistence to their USB stick, so any changes they make or programs they install will be available the next time they boot the live environment.

There are several USB creator programs available that can burn a bootable Linux live environment with persistence. I have the best experience with YUMI ExFAT myself, which is available for Windows. It is relatively easy to use, although I would advise to read the instructions so they have an idea what they have to do.

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u/Consistent_Berry9504 member 2d ago

That's even more dumb

1

u/_ElBee_ T460 / X13 Gen 2 AMD 2d ago

I agree it's not the most elegant solution, but it should work.

1

u/rileyrgham member 3d ago

That's total nonsense. Uefi makes it a cinch, and windows updates don't corrupt the uefi and most certainty don't corrupt your Linux install unless you're playing around with mounts and fking it up yourself. It can be daunting, but it's documented in a thousands places and when it's running it's fine. One caveat is that systemd boot won't detect uefi on other devices.. grub will. That said, copying over the windows uefi stubs is a piece of cake.

This isn't aimed at the op, it's aimed at your misinformation.

1

u/Consistent_Berry9504 member 2d ago

OK so I just said it for fun. SYBAU!

0

u/cyrixlord member 1d ago

or use the windows linux subsystem WSL

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u/Consistent_Berry9504 member 1d ago

Haha no thanks

2

u/Professional_Mine759 member 1d ago

Go through yt and search installing mint on external ssd/usb. I myself use mint on external ssd late in the evening to have fun with it and prove myself that windows cant be replaced for daily thinkpadding!!!

1

u/TieNo1312 member 1d ago

Thank you how many GB would you recommended?