Boot Laptop from Flash Drive with Faulty HD?

Hello,

I have an old Lenovo X230 Thinkpad. I stopped using it a couple years ago due to the Hardrive developing some problems and needs to be replaced, although the laptop does start up ok -- I wouldn't use it in case it dies.

BUT my other laptop has suddenly developed a faulty fan, and will take weeks to get the replacement part, so I'm wondering if there's a workaround for the old X230...

If I created a Windows USB flashdrive and booted from that, would that be more 'safe' than trying to use the internal HD which I know is faulty?

I guess I was thinking that by doing so I might reduce the load on the internal HD and therefore prolong its life a bit longer.

Maybe if I added one Flashdrive for the startup and another for storage?

Or am I totally off-base here? (Sorry, my understanding of hardware is fairly non)

 

You cannot simply boot the OS from the Flash Drive like you would with Linux. With Linux Flash drives, you get a choice where you want to simply boot from the flash drive (perhaps just to test or tinker around with the OS) or actually install it.

With Windows, when you boot from the Flash Drive you simply get an option to install it.

Granted, there is a way you can create a bootable Windows 10 OS that can do what you want using WinToUSB but I have tried that and even on a super fast speed USB 3.1 Flash drive, it was very slow and unusable basically

I would just buy a cheap 256GB SSD and install it in that other laptop and install a fresh Windows 10 on it.

See: Windows 10 Clean Installation Guide

 

I was about to suggest the same thing. If the PC in question is only being used as a stopgap, they might even be able to get away with a 128 GB drive, which can be had for less than $20 on Amazon.

 

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

How do I source a new HD / SSD for my Lenovo X230 Thinkpad?
Do I have to get one identical to whatever is already in there, or is there a way of finding out the specs so I can find one similar that I can replace it with? I'm guessing that physical size and shape is probably important in a laptop.

 

WindowsToGO needs more resources than a LiveCD Linux distro with persistence.
Look for Bx500 or Kingston A200 SSD which should perform miles better than HDD anyway.

 

You will need a 2.5-inch SSD, which can be purchased from Amazon. Follow the directions for removing and replacing it from here. Make sure you have Windows installation media available. If you're going to use Windows 10, Microsoft has a utility that will automatically download the OS and create a bootable USB drive. You just need to have a flash drive of at least 8 GB in capacity.

 

Thanks for your help guys -- I wasn't sure if I had to get a very specific HD/SSD or if I could get one off the shelf locally (the fan on my other Lenovo has to be bought from China, apparently!).

So, I found this one in a local store (I'm in Greece) would this one fit ok into my Lenovo x230 ?
https://www.public.gr/product/ssd-e...ndisk-ssd-plus-240gb-25-sata-3/prod8275039pp/

 

It should be compatible w/o any issues.