Failing HDD, having disabled it prevents me from re-installing Windows

[Loadingue]

Recently the only internal drive on my PC started failing and fucking up my Windows installation. I reinstalled Windows on the internal SSD and "disabled" the HDD through the Windows installation.

I noticed that it kept saying that the "Windows Boot Manager" in the BIOS was installed on the supposedly disabled HDD, but I stopped having problems for a while. Then Windows stopped working again so I did what I had been told to do earlier.

I was told to manually unplug it inside my PC, so I looked and saw two plugs coming out from the drive, one said SATA and the other looked like a black band. I removed both and tried to reinstall Windows, but I noticed three things:

The BIOS truly doesn't recognize the 2TB HDD anymore (as planned), but...
Windows won't install on the SSD (32GB) anymore (it doesn't even say why, it says to check the log I don't know how)
During the Windows installation, I noticed that not only the 2TB drive isn't there anymore, but also one that originally housed the Windows installation, a 128GB drive (a "partition" as a friend called it?). I had not disabled that 128GB drive.

Now I'd like to know how to get Windows to allow me to install Windows somewhere again. If I have to buy a new external drive, I'll do it, but will any drive do?

[Loadingue]

I do have 2 external hard drives but it won't install it on them for a variety of reasons, and I'm not ready to format any of them.

Can I buy any (external?) hard drive for a Windows installation?

[lordcrypto]

using an external drive for installing windows is a terrible idea

get an actual internal hard drive

[Loadingue]

Why? I'm no expert at all, I have no idea.

[ImCrimson]

If it's USB you'll have to figure out how to live-boot from it. Performance will probably be terrible and I'm not sure if it's possible without Enterprise edition of Windows, but it might be worth researching.

Ultimately you have to get a replacement for your internal drive, though.

[lordcrypto]

windows was designed to run off an internal hard drive

there's no way to install windows to a drive that is marked as removable on install

[Loadingue]

Alright, I'll do that then. Thanks everyone. I hope I find the right one.

[Levelog]

Except that's the whole point of windows to go