Booting Windows from external USB hard disk

  • Thread starter Thread starter Irvin
  • Start date Start date
I

Irvin

Thanks Nicholas,

Where can I find more info on this subject?

Is there another non Windows OS which can boot from
external USB Hard Disk?

Rgrds, Irvin
 
irvin,

it is not windows/microsoft which makes a computer boot from a specific
device. it is the bios manufacturer who does.

regards,
--
regards,
dennis
http://dennislazo.com

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| Thanks Nicholas,
|
| Where can I find more info on this subject?
|
| Is there another non Windows OS which can boot from
| external USB Hard Disk?
|
| Rgrds, Irvin
|
| >-----Original Message-----
| >1. Yes
| >2. No
| >
| >--
| >Nicholas
| >
| >----------------------------------------------------------
| ---------------
| >
| > | >
| >| Is it true that Windows XP (or any other Windows OS)
| >| cannot boot from external USB hard disk? If yes, are
| there
| >| any plans to include that possibility in one of future
| >| service packs?
| >|
| >| Thanks,
| >| Irvin
| >.
| >
|
 
Again, it is the computers motherboard and bios that allow this to happen!
How can the operating system initialize the USB drivers unless the M/B and
bios do it's thing - that is, initially boot and install drivers that are
contained somewhere in non-volatile RAM (to get it to the point where the
O/S can take over)?

BTW, I have never seen a motherboard that can do what you want. That is not
to say that they don't exist, of course!
 
Windows will install boot files to the C: drive.
Was the USB drive lised as the C: drive when you installed Windoows?
Put the boot files on the USB drive.
 
Irvin said:
Thanks Nicholas,

Where can I find more info on this subject?

Is there another non Windows OS which can boot from
external USB Hard Disk?
Click to expand...

You *might* find one - but you first have to have a BIOS that supports
the legacy USB (which is likely not to be USB 2.0 that you would need
for any remotely reasonable performance) and which will *then* accept it
as a boot device. You would probably need some booting auxiliary for it
that ran on a regular hard drive and loaded USB 2.0 drivers to then
carry on the load from the external drive. It seems frankly a fairly
futile exercise anyway
 
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