Linux - HardwareThis forum is for Hardware issues.
Having trouble installing a piece of hardware? Want to know if that peripheral is compatible with Linux?
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Posible, of course. It's a harddrive, a linux install is basically data on a partition on a harddrive or other storage device. If the default distro installer doesn't make it easy, you can rsync an install to the external harddrive from an internal one. Which you can do from a different machine of the same architecture. A few minor tweaks and it's bootable. Assuming the computer supports booting an external drive. Most since 2006-ish seem to support booting external (usb) devices from my limited experience.
For the most part, almost all linux uses an internal drive and an external drive exactly the say way. Most new systems even use the usb as a hard drive order choice and not a usb zip or usb floppy way.
This assumes a common newish distro and a somewhat newish system.
I make real installs to usb flash and usb hard drives all the time. Just be sure to remove the internal hard drive. (while you don't have to, I suggest it)
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