Hi,

I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and WinXP-Pro.
I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have multiple
NT partitions.

I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that drive
using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of dead
machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives before
trying to reinstall OSs on them.

If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the external
drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K machine
qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting from
it on the other machines.

Does any of this make any sense?

Thanks in advance,
Richard

Windows XP, or any other operating system,
cannot be installed on an external drive.

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Richard Lionheart" wrote:

| Hi,
|
| I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and WinXP-Pro.
| I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
| making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
| partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have multiple
| NT partitions.
|
| I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that drive
| using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of dead
| machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives before
| trying to reinstall OSs on them.
|
| If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
| drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the external
| drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K machine
| qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting from
| it on the other machines.
|
| Does any of this make any sense?
|
| Thanks in advance,
| Richard

Linux can.

--


The best live web video on the internet http://www.seedsv.com/webdemo.htm
NEW Embedded system W/Linux. We now sell DVR cards.
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Sharpvision simply the best http://www.seedsv.com



"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Windows XP, or any other operating system,
> cannot be installed on an external drive.
>
> How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP - Shell/User
> Microsoft Newsgroups
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Richard Lionheart" wrote:
>
> | Hi,
> |
> | I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and
> WinXP-Pro.
> | I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
> | making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
> | partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have
> multiple
> | NT partitions.
> |
> | I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that
> drive
> | using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of
> dead
> | machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives
> before
> | trying to reinstall OSs on them.
> |
> | If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
> | drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the
> external
> | drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K
> machine
> | qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting
> from
> | it on the other machines.
> |
> | Does any of this make any sense?
> |
> | Thanks in advance,
> | Richard
>

What external drive: SATA? Firewire?

--PA

"Richard Lionheart" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:_f2dnXOwJZZsaGrfRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
>
> I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and WinXP-Pro.
> I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
> making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
> partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have multiple
> NT partitions.
>
> I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that drive
> using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of dead
> machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives before
> trying to reinstall OSs on them.
>
> If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
> drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the external
> drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K machine
> qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting from
> it on the other machines.
>
> Does any of this make any sense?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Richard
>
>

No it cannot. Please do not make unsubstantiated claims!

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"pcbutts1" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

| Linux can.

Carey,

Thank you very much for your response. Did you see the reply to your
response from "pcbutts1" suggesting that I could boot Linux on an external
hard drive? Should I interpret "any other OS" to mean "any other Windows
OS", ro do you think "pcbutts1" is incorrect and I wouldn't have any
success.

I'd like to get a concensus on this before going to all the trouble on this
$150 1.6GB USB-interfaced drive. If my prospects of getting this to work
are dim, I'd rather take the drive back to Radio Shack.

Again, thanks for your response. I appreciate it very much.

Regards,
Richard

"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Windows XP, or any other operating system,
> cannot be installed on an external drive.
>
> How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP - Shell/User
> Microsoft Newsgroups
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
>
> "Richard Lionheart" wrote:
>
> | Hi,
> |
> | I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and
WinXP-Pro.
> | I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
> | making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
> | partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have
multiple
> | NT partitions.
> |
> | I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that
drive
> | using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of
dead
> | machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives
before
> | trying to reinstall OSs on them.
> |
> | If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
> | drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the
external
> | drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K
machine
> | qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting
from
> | it on the other machines.
> |
> | Does any of this make any sense?
> |
> | Thanks in advance,
> | Richard
>

Hi Pavel,

Thanks for the response. I've got a 160GB USB-interfaced drive with its own
power adapter.

Regards,
Richard

"Pavel A." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> What external drive: SATA? Firewire?
>
> --PA
>
> "Richard Lionheart" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:_f2dnXOwJZZsaGrfRVn-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I was running a three-computer workgroup: Win2kPro, Win2kAS and
WinXP-Pro.
> > I stupidly hosed the latter two machines. I wrecked the XP machine by
> > making a mistake when trying to use Partition Magic to expanded XP
> > partition. The AS machine somehow lost NTLDR. All machines have
multiple
> > NT partitions.
> >
> > I bought an external hard drive with goal of installing an OS on that
drive
> > using my still-working machine, then moving it successively to each of
dead
> > machines in order to recover important data from their hard drives
before
> > trying to reinstall OSs on them.
> >
> > If that seems workable, I assume I should install Linux on the external
> > drive because it could read NT partitions. Id rather put XP on the
external
> > drive when attached to my 2K machine, but fear that HAL from the 2K
machine
> > qould be inappropriate when installing the external drive and booting
from
> > it on the other machines.
> >
> > Does any of this make any sense?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Richard
> >
> >
>
>

Linux will boot and run from a thumbdrive, cd, external, internal, and
network drive. Because YOU don't know how does not make it wrong.

Booting Linux off of a USB drive.
http://www.simonf.com/usb/

Other links
Knoppix Live Linux CD : http://linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=44
Red Hat Linux : http://linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=7
Mandrake Linux : http://linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=29
Fedora Project : http://linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=64
www.google.com/linux
www.distrowatch.com

--


The best live web video on the internet http://www.seedsv.com/webdemo.htm
NEW Embedded system W/Linux. We now sell DVR cards.
See it all at http://www.seedsv.com/products.htm
Sharpvision simply the best http://www.seedsv.com



"Carey Frisch [MVP]" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> No it cannot. Please do not make unsubstantiated claims!
>
> --
> Carey Frisch
> Microsoft MVP
> Windows XP - Shell/User
> Microsoft Newsgroups
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "pcbutts1" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> | Linux can.
>

I don't know about Mac OS6.x, it's been so long since I used it but
Macintosh operationg systems from 7.0 to 9.x could all be booted from
external SCSI hard drives. I believe OS10.x can also be booted from
external devices.

OK guys,

I'm going to try building/booting an external Linux drive. To one and all,
many thanks.

And I'll be back bragging about my success or whining about my failure.

Thanks to the Universe for Newsgroups.

Regards,
Richard