Running WIN XP from a back-up on a USB drive.

[Mikie]

RE: WIN XP - Home Edition / build 2600- All SP2 Updates

Hi...
I recently backed-up WIN XP from my 'C' drive onto my USB HDD , using
the Western Digital applet supplied with the HDD.

Now what? When my WIN XP on my "C" drive goes south and I can no longer
boot, how do I 'activate' the USB drive for booting?

Thanx for all the help in the past

My professor said that the only stupid question is the one that was
never asked. So I don't feel so bad, now!

Mike Picture Rocks, AZ

 

[R. McCarty]

Don't believe that's the intended operation. Booting from a USB
drive isn't supported (natively) with XP. Most likely the WDC
program is a form of Imaging/Cloning. You'd have to read the
help/instructions for the program to understand the recovery of
a backup done with their program.

When asking about software, it always help to name the app so
those with experience can recognize it and respond.

 

[Office 2004 Test Drive User]

I don't think the backup works like that... Least none of the WD software
I've ever used did.

You can set to boot from usb devices in the BIOS.. However, I doubt it
backed up everything on your drive, namely windows... Since you were in
windows while it was running.

P.s. You have to make your USB drive bootable too... Have fun with that

RE: WIN XP - Home Edition / build 2600- All SP2 Updates

Hi...
I recently backed-up WIN XP from my 'C' drive onto my USB HDD , using
the Western Digital applet supplied with the HDD.

Now what? When my WIN XP on my "C" drive goes south and I can no longer
boot, how do I 'activate' the USB drive for booting?

Thanx for all the help in the past

My professor said that the only stupid question is the one that was
never asked. So I don't feel so bad, now!

Mike Picture Rocks, AZ

Sent using the Microsoft Entourage 2004 for Mac Test Drive.

 

[Anna]

RE: WIN XP - Home Edition / build 2600- All SP2 Updates

Hi...
I recently backed-up WIN XP from my 'C' drive onto my USB HDD , using
the Western Digital applet supplied with the HDD.

Now what? When my WIN XP on my "C" drive goes south and I can no longer
boot, how do I 'activate' the USB drive for booting?

Thanx for all the help in the past

My professor said that the only stupid question is the one that was
never asked. So I don't feel so bad, now!

Mike Picture Rocks, AZ

Mike:
As others have informed you a USB external HDD is not a bootable device in
an XP environment. There are supposedly some hacks out there which purport
to configure that device so that it will be bootable. See, for example,
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticleSrc.jhtml?articleID=177102101
You can do a Google search on "booting XP from USB external hard drive" and
review the "literature" re this subject. We've never been successful with
any of the purported "fixes".

Anyway, all is not lost for you...

If & when the time comes when you need to restore your system, you can use
the WD software to clone the contents of your USBEHD back to a functioning,
i.e., non-defective HDD, and (hopefully) that internal HDD will be bootable.
Now that assumes that the clone you created on the USBEHD is a viable one.
Which isn't always the case when using a HDD manufacturer's disk-cloning
program as we've learned over the years. It really would be best, if
possible, to test that out by performing that re:cloning operation to a new
or different HDD from your current bootable HDD. I would *not* recommend
doing so (for testing purposes) using your present functioning HDD.
Anna

 

[Bob I]

You can't "boot from the XP on the USB attached drive", You would need
to use the "Western Digital applet supplied with the HDD" to copy it to
an internal drive to be able to boot from it.