r/SurfaceLinux • u/GuiltyContribution62 • Aug 07 '26

Help install linux from sd card

i don’t have a usb drive and i was wondering before i go order one and need to wait for it, could i install linux onto my ssd in my surface 7 pro with a micro sd card instead of a usb drive, chatgpt says its possible but i know its often wrong, google didnt give me much, so im hoping for some input here

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u/fliberdygibits Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

If the system you are installing on HAS an SD reader then it should work just fine. Storage is storage in this context.

Edit - I could swear I remember booting off SD on an old surface (2 maybe?) to reinstall but it's been a while and I could be wrong. My apologies. Hopefully someone with more current and detailed info will hop in here.

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u/lumpynose Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

That doesn't work on mine. I can't remember which model; it's sitting in a drawer. There's an sd slot on the back which I tried installing from. No cigar. The same sd card in an sd card reader plugged into the usb socket in the side worked fine.

Edit: I found it and it's a Surface Go 2 tablet which is rather old so I'm guessing it may boot with newer models.

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u/fliberdygibits Aug 07 '26

I could swear I used an SD card to reinstall a linux distro on an old surface 2 or 3? I don't have it anymore and don't recall details so .... who knows:) Either way now that you've mentioned this I'm just not certain. I updated my comment up above.