Running Linux from a USB drive makes drive invisible in File Explorer,, but visible in Disk Management


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Tombar

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Hi. I thought I'd play with Linux, never having used it before. I've tried 4 methods for putting Zorin OS on to a USB drive, the latest and probably best being unetbootin-windows. I get a bootable Linux version and can play with it. However, when I exit and go back to Windows, this USB drive is not present in File Manager, but is in Disk Management, without a drive letter and I can't assign one. This is a screenshot - any ideas how to make it appear without formatting the disk?
Edit: usbimager.exe was the best for this
 
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when the Linux drive is visible before booting into the live distro can you create a short cut to the drive.

best of luck, Steve ..
 

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Tombar said:
Hi. I thought I'd play with Linux, never having used it before. I've tried 4 methods for putting Zorin OS on to a USB drive, the latest and probably best being unetbootin-windows. I get a bootable Linux version and can play with it. However, when I exit and go back to Windows, this USB drive is not present in File Manager, but is in Disk Management, without a drive letter and I can't assign one. This is a screenshot - any ideas how to make it appear without formatting the disk?
Edit: usbimager.exe was the best for this
Click to expand...
Hi,

OSes like GNU/Linux use a different file system, different security, permissions, etc.
Therefore, Windows OS does not know what to make of that partition, it knows there is something there but that's about it.
As it is, you cannot assign a drive letter unless you reformat the drive for Windows to use it, which would result in losing your Zorin set-up.
GNU/Linux installations do not use drive letters.

By the way, I would strongly recommend using some kind of a VM for your Zorin installation.
It allows you to run multiple versions of GNU/Linux if you wish to do so and is cocooned on its own secured volume.
There are several; Hyper-V, Oracle, VMware (now Broadcom) or look into VHDX as well.
 

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This might help with the USB visibility issue: Linux Reader - There's both limited 'free' and professional (paid) versions available.
 

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XxXxX said:
when the Linux drive is visible before booting into the live distro can you create a short cut to the drive.

best of luck, Steve ..
Click to expand...
You lost me at
XxXxX said:
when the Linux drive is visible before booting into the live distro can you create a short cut to the drive.

best of luck, Steve ..
Click to expand...
You lost me at "is visible before booting", Steve 😄. I'm 76 and dabbling with Linux for the first time (maybe an E next!).
I think I'll install it on a VM on my old Win 11 computer, as recommended below
 

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OAT said:
By the way, I would strongly recommend using some kind of a VM for your Zorin installation.
It allows you to run multiple versions of GNU/Linux if you wish to do so and is cocooned on its own secured volume.
Click to expand...
Thanks - I'll try this on my old Win 11 computer - VM is another new thing to me.
Several times, by fiddling around with options, I've finally managed to restore my USB drive, but have no idea what I did - is there a simple way to do this?
 

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LeLibran said:
This might help with the USB visibility issue: Linux Reader - There's both limited 'free' and professional (paid) versions available.
Click to expand...
I'll have a read at it, but the terminology is all new to me
 

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Tombar said:
I've finally managed to restore my USB drive, but have no idea what I did - is there a simple way to do this?
Click to expand...
Hey Tom,
I admire you for your willingness to want to learn something new, even at such a young age.

If you want to 'recover' your USB from Windows, you will lose your data and your Zorin installation.
From the same program you took the screenshot, you can highlight the disk, 3 in this case, double-check that it is the right one.
Right click & format.
It will give you a warning about erasing data and then once done, you can reassign a drive letter.
I say again; this will erase your Zorin installation.
 

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Add a drive letter using minitool partition wizard free.
 

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If you have a Linux distro installed on the USB vs a bootable Linux installer then this is expected behavior. Windows can see disks (including USBs) and see partition tables, but does not understand most of the Linux filesystems, so you won't be able to mount those file systems with drive letters in Windows.
 

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The versions of Linux LiveUSB thumb drives I use have the feature of disconnecting when closing, makes the computer not see them again. It usually requires removing the drive, reboot and reinsert. Windows File Explorer can't see them until getting a drive letter. Part of my tool kit is one of those drives. If wanting to see what is available in Linux versions check www.distrowatch.com, 100 different ones listed. Most are free to use and most can work with a large number of file formats. Last time I installed Linux Mint it showed at least 16 English dialects I could choose from.
 

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