Is it safe to run an operating system from an USB flash drive?

Posted by Georg on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Georg
Published on 2009-11-08T20:21:30Z Indexed on 2010/06/09 15:02 UTC
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I've got a laptop that has a broken harddisk controller. Replacing the motherboard is quite expensive. I thought about buying a flash drive and installing & running the system from it.

However, I'm concerned about some things.

  • Speed: Are they fast enough for swap memory (I've got only 1GB RAM installed.)
    I'm considering buying 2 or 3 of them and making them into a RAID.

  • What about limited write cycles? How long will it last for a system that has a filesystem with journaling enabled? I'd hate to abandon it.

  • Are there significant differences between internal SSD which are used in modern laptops like MacBooks and USB flash drives?

  • What should I expect in 10 years when the memory wear starts kicking in?

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