Possible to install my Windows XP Pro on my external hard drive also? (same computer)

[Mark Conrad]

Just in case my internal hard drive becomes corrupted, I would like to
install my one copy of Windows XP Pro onto an external hard drive, so I
could keep on working.

Is that possible?

Thanks ahead of time,

Mark-

 

[Joan Archer]

I don't think that would work, you probably wouldn't be able to activate
it as it would show as being installed twice. Have you thought about doing
an image with something like Acronis, Ghost or Terabyte and storing that
on the external drive as backup.
See what the experts have to say on the matter,
Joan

 

[Jerry]

There have been comments by others in these newsgroups that XP cannot be
installed on an external drive.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

[[Current versions of Windows should not be installed to USB hard disk
drives because Windows does not support USB hard disk drives as the primary
boot device.]]

[[Windows as it exists today is currently not optimized to run as an
installed operating system from USB attached mass-storage or CD. ]]

[[Hard disk drives shouldn't report themselves as removable media drives
because Windows will not put a page file on a removable media device. ]]
from...
Recommendations for Booting Windows from USB Storage Devices
Updated: August 23, 2004
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/usb-boot.mspx

However, this is claimed to work.
http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

This is supposed to work also.
Windows In Your Pocket | Tom's Hardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/09/09/windows_in_your_pocket/

No, Microsoft does *NOT* support it.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Mark Conrad]

Hope this helps. Let us know.

Definitely helps, thanks Wes.

Thanks also to Joan and Jerry.



Wes, the Microsoft website you supplied seems to want to encourage the
use of booting Windows XP from external USB hard drives.

Possibly in the future it will happen.

Thanks again all, back to learning the ins and outs of running my new
laptop PC.

Mark-

 

[Joan Archer]

You're welcome Mark, glad you were able to get the info you needed.
Joan