Using current install on a different machine?

envo

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Hi guys,

I'm running ArchLinux KDE on my main home computer. I will be travelling quite a bit in the next few months, taking my work laptop with.

I was wondering if it would be possible to just pop my SSD out of my home computer, use a USB enclosure and then boot from it whenever I have some personal stuff to tend to? (I like keeping any personal stuff off of work computers as I have work-specific accounts and don't necessarily want to use my personal Google Account login on there)

I have a Lenovo laptop from work, and managed to get it to boot from the USB, but errored on Simple Display Manager (can't recall what it was called exactly) and then never went into the OS. So I am wondering now if it's at all possible between 2 different sets of hardware without some initial configuration (or at all)

Any and all insight into this would help tremendously. Can't really haul my rig around willy nilly while travelling.

Thanks!
 
Not sure with Arch, but with most Debian based distro's one can create a Persistent Live USB with mkusb.
 
What gpu does the desktop & laptop run?

Maybe try reinstalling sddm after booting it from the laptop.
 
What gpu does the desktop & laptop run?

Maybe try reinstalling sddm after booting it from the laptop.
It didnt give me a terminal unfortunately. Only that sddm failed and then started up my antivirus and something else. The laptop is some intel gpu chip and my desktop runs a nvidea 1060 6gb
 
Tried that and nothing. Turns out the laptop's keyboard requires you to hold down Fn as well. Waste of money laptop, but hey, work bought it.
 
Wonder if you can copy your current install to a persistent thumb drive? Just sounds a bit better as just now the elcheepo work laptop knackers your install.
 
Tried that and nothing. Turns out the laptop's keyboard requires you to hold down Fn as well. Waste of money laptop, but hey, work bought it.

Then change the kernel boot parameter from grub so it boots to cli.
 
Hi guys,

I'm running ArchLinux KDE on my main home computer. I will be travelling quite a bit in the next few months, taking my work laptop with.

I was wondering if it would be possible to just pop my SSD out of my home computer, use a USB enclosure and then boot from it whenever I have some personal stuff to tend to? (I like keeping any personal stuff off of work computers as I have work-specific accounts and don't necessarily want to use my personal Google Account login on there)

I have a Lenovo laptop from work, and managed to get it to boot from the USB, but errored on Simple Display Manager (can't recall what it was called exactly) and then never went into the OS. So I am wondering now if it's at all possible between 2 different sets of hardware without some initial configuration (or at all)

Any and all insight into this would help tremendously. Can't really haul my rig around willy nilly while travelling.

Thanks!

It depends on the boot mode of both machines, and also might depend on some of the drivers (especially proprietary). If you can install virtualbox on the host, you could try booting the USB with it.
 
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