2006-09-26 04:48:45 · 20 answers · asked by gardener 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Other - Hardware
You can make any USB device bootable (create a bootable partition) - stick a copy of Linux on there and it will give you a full operating system on there complete with office apllications, web browser, messenger, media player and CD burning software - then you can store your files on the other partition.
Now there are large sized USB drives out there it is feasable. It may get on your nerves though waiting for it to boot every time.
Either that or buy an Apple Mac !!! - No Viruses !!
To all those people who ridiculed you for asking a very feasable question - get your facts right first !!
YOU CAN boot a PC without a HDD...
2006-09-26 05:00:15 · answer #1 · answered by the thinker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can.
But keep a wheel barrow next to you with a lot of floppies. It is impossible nowadays to work without a hard drive. All this, to get rid of virus?
It is like burning the house to get rid of house bugs...!!
But, wait .... there is a solution. Buy an external harddrive that connects to your USB port. Periodically back up your harddrive inside your computer to this external one. This way, at least you are current upto the time you were hit with a virus. This is the only suggestion I can make and it is entirely do-able.
Or, you can back up your data files to a CD. You will need a CD writer. Blank CDs are cheap. So, throw the old one (punch a hole first) and keep only the new ones.
Another way: partition your hard drive. Always save your data in the second partition, so that, if you are hit by a virus only the system partition needs to be formatted and the operating system need to be reinstalled. Your data is still protected.
Nowadays some software allow you to automatically archive your data to a second partition - on a set day of the week at a set time. You do not have to even remember to do it, the software will do it for you.
For just $49, you can buy this one:
http://www.acronis.com
It is the best I have come across. It will also clone your hard drive to the external drive if you wish.
Good Luck.
2006-09-26 12:07:09 · answer #2 · answered by Nightrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is still possible to have a computer without a hard drive. buying one might be a little difficult. But you can buy computer these days that still look for a network boot device and if your computer has this option you literally don't need a hard drive, so removed it and there you go. But you still have to worry about viruses, and even more than before, because you are simply storing your information on a really big shared hard drive hosted by another machine.
The network boot uses your LAN cards MAC address to find the corresponding boot infomation on the network. It's still workable but not a great idea.
2006-09-28 13:04:04 · answer #3 · answered by Brian K² 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Computers without hard drives? They haven't made those for a while. You can buy a 'thin client' which is just a terminal that connects to a server but the server still has a hard drive in it.
Computers like the ZX81 or ZX Spectrum or the Amiga used to load their software up from cassete tape drives or floppy discs.
Technically a computer is anything that carries out algorithmic operations. This can include humans - indeed the first computers were humans. It was a job title.
2006-09-26 11:55:37 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Contrary to popular belief, IT IS POSSIBLE TO have/run a computer WITHOUT a hard drive.
It is possible to create a bootable CD with Windows and Linux (just requires a little know how).
The only problem with this, however, is that other then using the applications that come with Windows/Linux, the computer would not have much other practical use as you would not be able to install any ther applications on to it. Actually, you wouldn't even be able to connect to the internet as there would be not way of saving the network connection information required by the operating system.
SO, not impossible, just not practical...
2006-09-26 12:30:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ignore all the answers that say you are stupid, lacking abrain etc. Its a reasonable question to ask - it IS possible to have a computer without a hard drive, and its NOT cutting edge technology. In fact, it's old technology that never really took off, and as a result I doubt you'll find one nowadays.
The concept is that the computer boots off a network and everything the computer uses is on the network not on the computers hard drive. They were sometimes referred to as "network appliances". They were ever only targetted at a corporate market place, because (at the time) thats the only place there were networks and servers. They were never intended as a home user product.
At one time were seen as the "next big thing" of computing due to the ease of setup, ease of central control and the fact there was nothing at everyones desk to maintain - everything got upgraded/updated on the central server that all such computers accessed.
They never took off though and disappeared into history.
Also look here:
http://www.answers.com/topic/driveless-work-station
2006-09-26 12:12:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well all of those answers are right without a hard drive it would be useless and get a good virus scanner and firewall and adware program but at same time they are wrong there are windows Cd's and Linux Cd's that you can run from CD its called live CD but i never tried it without a hard drive so i won't say its possible to run a computer from the CD without a hard drive ..... so everyone is right here it would be a very expensive and big paper weight .. he-he ..... just get a good virus scanner and firewall and a spy-ware remover and don't open emails from ppl you don't know less you ask for it .... and you should be OK
2006-10-03 03:58:01 · answer #7 · answered by IceMan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A computer without a hard driver wouldn't be able to do much.
Without a hard drive you will only be able to do what the computer was programmed to do at the beginning.
Even if you had some sort of memory RAM etc, then this could potentioly get a virus!
Not sure what you want to do here - must be easier to get the right anti virus protection etc.
2006-09-26 11:55:03 · answer #8 · answered by canarian.frank 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is also possible to purchase advertised on eBay a programme "KNOPPIX on C.D." which is a LINUX operating system which runs from the C.D. and is quite satisfactory for accessing the internet, the only problem being saving downloaded files to Windows.Also it will not configure an internal modem as these use Windows files but will work with a laptop PCMCIA (credit card)modem
2006-09-27 07:28:26 · answer #9 · answered by David P 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They haven't made a computer without a hard drive in a long time, just buy a good anti virus software and a good firewall.
2006-09-26 11:57:32 · answer #10 · answered by exodus64_1996 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋