Can I still use an Esata caddy on modern laptops

[davhun]

I use a 10 year old Vortex III that has a firewire port, USB 2 port, 3x USB 3 ports of which one is a combined Esata/USB port. The latter has been very handy in experimenting with additional operating systems installed on an external drive in an Esata caddy. It was easy to swap drives (if needed) without affecting the laptop's installed OS.

Modern laptops seem to have less and less connectivity, especially compared with my younger days (1980 ish) when there were magazines based around it.
I am looking for a laptop replacement and currently have my eye on the 16" Ionica. However, there is nothing I can see that replaces an Esata port and allows an external OS installation.

However, maybe I am just getting old.

 

[sck451]

Maybe I'm getting this wrong, but could you not just use an external USB drive? Most likely an M.2 drive in an enclosure, I'd have thought?

 

[davhun]

Maybe I'm getting this wrong, but could you not just use an external USB drive? Most likely an M.2 drive in an enclosure, I'd have thought?

My understanding is that you cannot install an OS on an external drive unless it is on an Esata connection.

 

[sck451]

My understanding is that you cannot install an OS on an external drive unless it is on an Esata connection.

Some operating systems can be. Lots of NAS operating systems are designed to be run that way, for instance.

But Windows might be harder/impossible, if that's what you want.

 

[davhun]

Some operating systems can be. Lots of NAS operating systems are designed to be run that way, for instance.

But Windows might be harder/impossible, if that's what you want.

Some years ago I used to be a Windows insider so had perhaps 2 or 3 installations on the computer and other temporary trials on an external drive. It might have been nice to do it again but I do not think it is going to worry me much now if it is not feasable.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Windows can run happily from a USB port, you can boot from any USB device if it has a bootable image, that's how you install windows, by booting the USB.

eSATA is a legacy connection. Now it's USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 which have both been merged in USB 4

 

[davhun]

Windows can run happily from a USB port, you can boot from any USB device if it has a bootable image, that's how you install windows, by booting the USB.

eSATA is a legacy connection. Now it's USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 which have both been merged in USB 4

Thanks SpyderTracks, maybe soon I will give it a go.