No USB? No problem.
One free app puts Linux beside Windows β the USB stick was never the point.
Five no-USB doors, all free
| door | what it does | get it |
|---|---|---|
| one-click Linux beside Windows | github.com/Arjun-Ingole/hop | |
| every installer streams over the internet, no USB, no download | netboot.xyz/ | |
| boot a Linux .iso straight from C:, no copy, no partition | grub2win.com/ | |
| Ubuntu lives inside ONE file, zero repartition | github.com/hakuna-m/wubiuefi | |
| real Linux inside Windows, zero reboot | learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install |
The full no-USB kit β 20 free tools
hop β github.com/Arjun-Ingole/hop Β· one-click Linux beside Windows
Libertix β github.com/ekimiateam/libertix Β· free distro, installs from inside Windows
Tunic β github.com/mikeslattery/tunic Β· drop-in Windows app, boots ISO from disk
ULLI β github.com/rltvty2/ulli Β· lightweight live Linux, runs from Windows
WubiUEFI β github.com/hakuna-m/wubiuefi Β· Ubuntu inside one file, zero repartition
LICK β github.com/noryb009/lick Β· install Puppy from Windows with a click
netboot.xyz β netboot.xyz/ Β· every installer streams over the internet
Grub2Win β grub2win.com/ Β· boot a Linux ISO straight from C:
pxehost β pxehost.com/ Β· netboot host, one menu for all installers
iVentoy β www.iventoy.com/en/ Β· network boot ISOs across the LAN
WSL2 β learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install Β· real Linux inside Windows, zero reboot
Multipass β canonical.com/multipass Β· Ubuntu VMs in seconds
MiniTool β www.minitool.com/partition-manager/partition-wizard-home.html Β· shrink C: to make room for Linux
GParted β gparted.org/livehd.php Β· partition editor that boots live
rEFInd β www.rodsbooks.com/refind/ Β· boot manager that finds every OS
Debian netinst β www.debian.org/distrib/netinst Β· tiny installer, downloads the rest
Arch archinstall β github.com/archlinux/archinstall Β· guided Arch installer, no manual steps
Tiny Core β www.tinycorelinux.net/downloads.html Β· Linux in megabytes, boots anywhere
Porteus β www.porteus.org/ Β· portable Linux, runs from any drive
Puppy β puppylinux-woof-ce.github.io/ Β· tiny distro, installs beside Windows
Windows stays. Linux joins. No USB, ever.

!