Installing Linux on a new hard disk
 

...actually an SSD. Having been encouraged by results on a virtual box (Oracle) I was intending to build another machine and make it purely Linux. But I had an idea. I am envisaging that if I connect a dedicated SSD in place of my Windows one (as drive C: in Windows parlance) I could set that up for Linux just as if I had a dedicated machine. Then if I ever need W7 I could just swap disks again. anyone see problems with that!

Swapping the hard disk drive could get old. Plus you would have to keep opening the case to connect the SSD.

It would be better to purchase an additional SSD and put Linux on it.

A desktop has multiply bays for at least 3 HDD's.

During boot you could choose which os you want to boot.

Not sure what you mean by 'could get old'! Not worried about the case. I intend to keep the Windows SSD for emergencies only.

I don't think that can harm the computer in any way. But if you switch between Windows and GNU/Linux then it could get annoying. But at the same time buying another SSD could be expensive. Although I don't see why you don't just have both disks in the computer. Like Ztcoracat said you should have like 3 disk slots inside your computer. If for whatever reason you can't do that then I guess you can go with your original plan. Especially if you're only using Windows for emergencies then yeah your plan should work fine.

As previously stated that would get old and annoying swapping out the drives or just disconnecting the sata cable from one drive to another. We should work smarter not harder.

Why not just dual boot since you want to keep the Windows installation? Set the boot loader to Linux as the default and your cooking with grease.

-::-I couldn't agree more-::-

I appreciate what's being said, but I envisage possibly never having to use the Windows disk again. It is just there as an emergency fallback for my main production machine. I already have a spare SSD. I would go for the dual boot but need to make that machine foolproof for family reasons!

Then yeah I'd say that the idea you have is pretty good. Since you aren't going to use the Windows disk much at all it won't hurt to just switch out the disks.

One problem with having a separate Windows drive which you plug in "for emergencies only" is keeping it current with all the bug-fixes and security updates that Windows is famous for. You might need to schedule updates at regular intervals, and a dual-boot configuration would make that easier. If you don't want the family to use Windows, disabled the Guest account and password-protect the other Windows account(s).

Good point (although it is the pesky updates that is one of the reasons for ditching Windows. When I open up my machine in the morning I invariably need to start working at once!