So i want to run linux on a laptop.
I tried doing it in VMs and tried disk partitioning, however I did not have "enough space" to install Linux in the disk partition.
By any chance, can I run Linux on my laptop while the os is on a storage unit outside my computer?
Wrong forum?
You can run a "live CD" as external USB drive for Linux (just to think about you cannot store files).
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I did not understand you.
Can i run Linux wth the os itself installed on an external storage
Works fine for me on a Windows laptop, using VirtualBox. Linux would be impossibly slow, if trying to run from a thumb drive or other USB disk.
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hmmm, i had tried vmware to no avail, let me try virtual box and ill get back to you.
It's too long ago that I looked into those things. Ubuntu (and possible other distros) offer(ed) the option of a persistent install on a memory stick. Only requirement would be that your laptop can boot from USB.
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Absolutely you can install and run Linux on a USB thumb drive. It won't be as quick as a regular hard drive, but it's certainly usable.
An external USB 3 SSD drive would be snappier.
It's also possible to use a live CD to boot Linux and mount a USB thumb drive to provide non-volatile storage. CD boot times are pretty slow however.
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I always expect Linux users to be "hackers" who can solve problems themselves or research it. 
I just installed a 4TB SSD on my Windows laptop for all of my music files and ripped DVD movies & concerts. (I don't subscribe to any steaming services.)
hey would you pls tell me how you can do that, I couldn't get anywhere with online instructions
File storage is available on the boot USB, another USB and the host PC.
thank you guys so much!
Also isnt this an open forum ? (topic)
I am a Linux advocate. Give it a try (again?) It is not a gaming machine. I have helped struggling users with Windows bloatware breathe life into their PC with Linux Mint USB, accessing their files on their PC. I left windows in 2000, but must boot Win for IDE 2.0. Looking forward to cross platform IDE builds.
The first time doing an install is always intimidating, but typically the install utility will ask which drive to which you want to install. Pick the USB drive. The trick is figuring out which drive that is and then let the install utility use that full drive and pick its own partitioning scheme.
There are generic instructions at the link below.
https://www.tecmint.com/install-linux-os-on-usb-drive/
Do you know which Linux distribution you want to use?
I started using Linux in a dual boot mode when mainstream Windows XP support went end of life circa 2009. After a year or two of never booting to Windows, I got rid of it. While it's not my main machine I still have that computer (single core CPU with 1 GB RAM) running the Bodhi Linux distribution, my current favorite lightweight desktop distribution for "old iron".
I've done a number of USB stick installations, initially just as a way to experiment with different distributions. As a practical matter I found it handy when traveling with my corporate Windows laptop, for which I didn't have administrator access. The USB boot from my own drive when "off the clock" allowed me to have control over the machine without having to travel with a second personal laptop. Our IS dept has since disabled USB boot in BIOS, frustrating this workaround.
Linux works OK through a USB 3.0 port, when installed on a USB 3.0 SSD or thumb drive.
I suspect that most people would be very unhappy with any other choice and should have made that distinction clear.
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