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Title: Booting from flash drive (Win 7 - XP)
Source:
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URL Source: http://ChuckW
Published: Mar 2, 2015
Author: Chuck_Wagon
Post Date: 2015-03-02 15:53:26 by Chuck_Wagon
Keywords: None
Views: 37934
Comments: 123
Just suppose that I wanted to create a machine that would FYI - I am planning to create this thing on a new Zotac So what I'm basically trying to do is create a 'disk-less' Thanks for any help / insight! ZBOX 1320-U:
boot from a USB flash drive - a relatively big flash drive -
32gb to 64gb - or whatever is required.
And I wanted this thing to boot either Win7 or XP.
Anybody here have any experience with such an experience?
'ZBox' with a Celeron processor and 4GB of memory (which I
have - the memory - not the Zbox).
computer. Shouldn't be fraught with problems - Eh? 
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#1. To: Chuck_Wagon (#0)
(Edited)
You likely be better off with smaller notebook 2.5" flash drive that is designed for use as a system drive. Typically these have RAM for caching data and eliminating a lot of disk rewrites (that would shorten a USB flash drive's lifetime). And they have a true disk interface. USB just isn't as good. USB is also potentially a source for unstoppable computer viruses to hide out. Look at Amazon and you'll find 32GB Crucial solid-state drives with 3Gbps SATA interface for $38 or instead choose a 128GB Seagate drive with 6Gbps SATA3 interface for under $60 (I'd urge you to consider this one as it is a reputable drive with a good record, very fast, and will work quite well with these Zotac units you're considering and it is four times bigger with a better interface for only twice the price).
I agree. USB thumbdrives are great for portability, and using "your computer" on different actual machines (like a repair technician might do.) But USB drives are also very slow compared to an internal drive. I just received a ZBOX 1320-U with 4Gb of RAM on Saturday and put a Western Digital 320 Gb SATA II drive in it that I bought last year for $45. Today it's only $30 + shipping, and the newer/faster SATA III is $39 & FREE SHIPPING. Working great with mint linux installed. But running off the USB (thumb drive and external dvd) is noticeablly slower than the internal hard drive.
#4. To: TooConservative, Chuck_Wagon (#1)
You likely be better off with smaller notebook 2.5" flash drive that is designed for use as a system drive
#5. To: Willie Green, Chuck_Wagon (#4)
USB3, just as with USB2, does not actually maintain the advertised maximum speed of the interface in sustained data transfers. IOW, even if the interface is rated at the same speed, SATA or Firewire always beat USB2 or USB3 at the same rated speeds. A USB3 flash drive running at 5Gbps is much slower than any common SATA3 6Gbps solid-state drive. Using USB flash drives as a system drive only makes sense for portability between various computers. Since these are bookshelf computers to begin with, the portability can't be much of an issue. And the drive controller on a hard drive is just much better than a USB flash drive and has RAM cache that really helps the speed and reduces the rewrites.
Working great with mint linux installed. But running off the USB (thumb drive and external dvd) is noticeablly slower than the internal hard drive.
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