How to run xp pro laptop from external drive and shut down internal drive

[doug.potter]

I want to use notebook (Dell Inspirion 5100) to run chart plotting
software on my boat. The boat is a 23 foot cuddy sterndrive and from
time to time I end up taking a real pounding in rough water.

I will connect my GPS and a small touch screen LCD (usb) to the pc.
The pc will be in the cuddy cabin and will be cushioned for shock as
much as possible but I am concerned that the pounding will be too much
for the internal drive.

I thought I might buy an external drive that 1) is rated as much more
shock resistant than the existing internal rive and 2) could be
cushioned for shock more effectively than the notebook.

The pc has a firewire connection.

I understand that booting from an external drive is difficult.

1) Can you boot from the internal drive and then shut it down and
operate the pc from the external drive?

2) As an alternative, could I operate the pc with the internal drive
removed and connected with a ribbon cable?

3) Do you have any other ideas? This is way over my head.

Thanks

Doug

 

[Dave B]

Windows XP will not run from an external drive, best solution is perhaps a
notebook designed for such use, like a Panasonic Toughbook.

 

[Guest]

I doubt if the heaving of a boat wil affect the internal HD, provided it he
laptop is secured so it can't strike anything or bang-down on its table.

Disks will stand several tens of G's when running, and the boat will never
exert this much force. The thing that _will_ damage a disk is if it receives
a sharp rap on a hard surface. This kind of blow can generate instantaneous
forces in the thousands of G range. I've seen a disk survive a long fall
onto a carpet, but another to suffer damage when it fell half-an-inch onto a
very hard surface.