Running Linux from a USB drive is possible. You can boot just about any distribution you want from USB. There are some things you should consider before going this route. I've used Linux in just about ...
I'm cobbling together a laptop - an Alienware M11xR3, that was running Windows 10 22H1 x64 up until falling apart this weekend. Tried fixing it with parts from an M11xR1, had some initial successes ...