Installing ZORIN18 on a portable 1TB SSD to use as standalone

[FrankL]

HI absolute noob here, and 71yo, so not that technical anymore, but my 2 old desktops are now flying with Zorin18 which I like a lot !!

I still have a laptop for traveling, and its win11, which I start to hate, but still wanna keep this Win11 because there is a lot of stuff on it that I would like to keep save for the moment as some progs I fear will not work in zorin...

So I was thinking of installing Zorin18 on a portable 1TB ssd as a standalone Zorin harddrive, that I can startup with my laptop, without always having to use Win11, it is merely used ( zorin) for Internet, pictures, chatting etc, nothing heavy, no games etc.

I mostly will use the ssd on holidays, and because 1 TB gives me enough space to later add my holiday pictures , and later put the SSD into the desktops to retrieve the pictures ( if that is possible with the OS on it)?

so a lot of questions asked, and please remeber I am a noob!

Secondly, I did all my Zorin installing and finetuning with my phone next to me using IA but have ran into a lot of misery, because AI gave me the wrong answers or lines to put into Terminal...learned from that now.

sometimes getting the SSD repaired IA made me work 4 hours with lines in terminal, and I got so angry, I stopped it , went into software, found a Formatting tool and the same was done in 5 minutes( oooh god being a noob is not helping)

So my other probem is,
When getting this far ( with AI) that Zorin18 is installing itself onto the portable SSD, it stops somewhere in the middle and the bleu line is pulsing but not moving any further anymore.
so after several attemps and nearly getting the SSD not functional anymore, this is my last chance, despite the chance you guys telling me that what I want is not possible, all fair!

thank for taking your time to read this!
Frank

[swarfendor437]

Well I used Perplexity A.I. which gives this:

"You can install Linux directly onto a USB SSD and choose it at boot without touching your internal Windows 11 drive. The idea is to treat the USB SSD like a normal internal disk during Linux install and then use the notebook’s boot menu to pick Windows or Linux.
What you’ll need

A USB SSD (preferably USB 3.0/3.2, at least 64–128 GB for a comfortable Linux install).

A Linux ISO (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin, etc.).

A separate 8+ GB USB stick to act as the Linux installer.

Your notebook already running Windows 11 (UEFI + GPT is standard on modern laptops).

Back up important Windows data first in case of mistakes.
Step 1: Prepare the Linux installer USB

On Windows 11:

Download your chosen Linux ISO from the official website.

Download a tool like Rufus to create a bootable USB.

Insert your spare USB stick (this is the installer, not the SSD).

In Rufus:

    Select the USB stick as the device.

    Select the Linux ISO.

    Partition scheme: GPT; Target system: UEFI (non-CSM).

    Start and wait for it to finish.

Step 2: Connect the portable SSD and boot from installer

Plug in the USB SSD to a fast USB port.

Reboot the notebook and enter the boot menu (often F12, F9, Esc, or similar).

Select the USB installer drive (it will show as UEFI: <USB name>).

Choose “Try/Install <distro>” from the Linux boot menu.

Step 3: Install Linux onto the USB SSD (not the internal drive)

During the Linux installer:

When asked about installation type, choose “Something else” or “Manual partitioning” (wording varies by distro).

Identify your USB SSD by size and interface (e.g. /dev/sdb, /dev/sdc); keep your internal Windows NVMe/SATA drive untouched.

On the USB SSD, create at least:

    EFI System Partition: ~300–512 MB, FAT32, mount point /boot/efi.

    Root partition: rest of the space (e.g. ext4), mount point /.
    Optionally add a separate /home partition or swap if you wish.

Very important: in the “Device for boot loader installation” dropdown, select the USB SSD (e.g. /dev/sdb), not the internal Windows disk.

Proceed with installation and finish setup (user, password, region, etc.).

When done, shut down, remove only the installer USB, and leave the USB SSD connected.

Step 4: Boot Linux vs Windows

With USB SSD plugged in:

    Power on and open the boot menu key.

    Select the USB SSD’s UEFI entry (often shows the distro name, e.g. “Ubuntu”).

    Linux will boot from the external SSD.

With USB SSD unplugged:

    The notebook boots normally into Windows 11 from the internal drive.

You can also change boot order in BIOS/UEFI so the internal drive stays first and you use the temporary boot menu whenever you want Linux, which keeps Windows 11 as the default.
Important tips and caveats

Performance depends heavily on USB speed; USB 3.x is usually fine, older USB 2.0 will feel slow.

Avoid installing the Linux bootloader to the internal drive or its EFI partition to keep Windows fully independent.

Always safely eject the USB SSD from within Linux or Windows before unplugging to reduce the risk of filesystem corruption.

If you ever accidentally overwrite the internal EFI, Windows 11’s recovery or “Startup Repair” can usually restore it, but careful disk selection prevents this.

If you tell which Linux distro you prefer (e.g. Ubuntu vs Mint) and your laptop model, more exact partition sizes and boot-key instructions can be tailored to your setup."

If you are comfortable with taking a laptop apart to remove the internal HDD I would do that first before installing to the external SSD, just to be safe.

[Ponce-De-Leon]

Welcome to the Forum!

Install Zorin alongside Windows on this Laptop is no Alternative I guess? Then You could use the external Drive as a pure Data Storage.

[Aravisian]

@FrankL

When getting this far ( with AI) that Zorin18 is installing itself onto the portable SSD, it stops somewhere in the middle and the bleu line is pulsing but not moving any further anymore.

Yes, you can install to the SSD, but you are encountering an error.
Does that SSD have an EFI partition?

What did your format it to?

And can you specify what part of the installation it is getting stuck on? (For example, the portion where it downloads updates from the web).

[FrankL]

Thank you all for the reply
1_ I make or do the installation from one of my test Desktops with Zorin on it, so no fear of deleting Win11 at the moment, I run through all the advices given bySwarfendor and his AI except for the part that I do the install from a Desktop with Zorin18 installed.

The 1TB portable ssd drive function, I can transfer files to it etcetera...

I once had to save the SSD because of bad info on IA which turned out not to work at all.

I made a prntscr from the propperties of this drive, maybe it makes some sense to you zorin wizzards, maybe it's the drive, but I was so happy when it started installing Zorin to it, but was sad hahha, when it stopped right halfway.
what excactly it was installing at that moment , I do not remember, I gave up after several attemps.
I also like to inform you it was a cheap Ali Express 1T SSD , but it functions for music files , pictures etc...( do not know if that helps, haha)

Thank you
Frank

[Ponce-De-Leon]

Your Drive is in MBR. What Tool did You use to create the Zorin Bootstick?

[FrankL]

Balena Etcher, the USB with Zorin on it, worked for both my desktop pc's...

[Ponce-De-Leon]

And are Your Desktop PC's in BIOS in UEFI or Legacy Mode?

[FrankL]

UEFI, but might have found ( I think) the problem as it is a cheap ( 5€) SSD drive it propably is a fake ofourse ( I purchased it from ALI to put music on) it could be the drive does not have the quality/space/speed it needs to install or play Zrin18...not sure, but that is what i get as an answer on a Belgian forum

[Forpli]

I wonder if perhaps the exfat file system is the problem here and if it would help to delete the volume so that it is displayed as unallocated space and then create a new partition table in GPT (if you have a computer with UEFI).
I'm not sure, perhaps someone can give better advice.

[FrankL]

I formatted it after the trials... now its in NFTS , maybe I try it again, but I ran a disc check ande this is the result, propâbly its too slow?

[Ponce-De-Leon]

Then, I would suggest to buy a new Drive. But not a Drive like this.

[FrankL]

that is in the planning

B.r. Frank