Install Windows to a USB external drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cpliu
  • Start date Start date
C

cpliu

Can the Windows OS be installed to an external drive (whether USB or
firewire)? I've tried installing Vista beta, but it went into blue screen
error after it finished the initial installation (took over 1-2 hours). It
mentioned something about hardware problem with codes like:

STOP:
0x0000007BC ....

If Vista does not work that way, I need to install XP to my external drive.
Please give me feedback before I wait 1 hour to know if it works...


THANKS!


cpliu
 
Windows can only be installed on an internal drive.
External drives are designed for file storage only.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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

:

| Can the Windows OS be installed to an external drive (whether USB or
| firewire)? I've tried installing Vista beta, but it went into blue screen
| error after it finished the initial installation (took over 1-2 hours). It
| mentioned something about hardware problem with codes like:
|
| STOP:
| 0x0000007BC ....
|
| If Vista does not work that way, I need to install XP to my external drive.
| Please give me feedback before I wait 1 hour to know if it works...
|
|
| THANKS!
|
|
| cpliu
 
Windows can only be installed on an internal drive.
External drives are designed for file storage only.
Click to expand...

Not completely true! You can only install Windows XP successfully onto an
External SCSI or SATA hard drive since these are still considered/behave as
internal drives. USB and Firewire drives need the enhanced hot-swap drivers,
which seem to cause the problem of not allowing Windows XP to be
installed/booted from these types of external drivers.


It has been previous posted, here in this newsgroup, that people have gotten
XP to boot successfully off an USB drive, but only after coping a "known"
working internal IDE drive.


Also, since Vista is still in development (I have not used it yet.), this
"restriction" of installing onto USB/Firewire drives may still be there.
 
Good post - the key to bootable support is the term "Removable" not
external, both SCSI and SATA-II external drives are seen by XP as
"Fixed" and can be made to boot from.
 
cpliu said:
Can the Windows OS be installed to an external drive (whether USB or
firewire)? I've tried installing Vista beta, but it went into blue screen
error after it finished the initial installation (took over 1-2 hours). It
mentioned something about hardware problem with codes like:

STOP:
0x0000007BC ....

If Vista does not work that way, I need to install XP to my external drive.
Please give me feedback before I wait 1 hour to know if it works...


THANKS!


cpliu
Click to expand...

What kind of external drive? XP cannot boot from an external Drive
attached to a USB port.
 
... coping a "known" working internal IDE drive.

Can you elaborate or provide link to a solution?

Thanks,
 
What kind of external drive? XP cannot boot from an external Drive
attached to a USB port.

It's a IDE drive turned into external USB drive connected through USB 2
port on a laptop.
 
Neither Windows XP or Vista (beta) can be
installed and run from an external drive.

Comprendo?

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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

:

| It's a IDE drive turned into external USB drive connected through USB 2
| port on a laptop.
 
Please use the correct terminology.

Both SATA & SCSI drives can be housed outside the
Computer, which makes them external, but not necessarily
removable (Hot Dockable).

While outside the "Physical" PC they are to XP, considered
to be a "Fixed"/(Internal) drive. They will not have the optional
Policy of optimizing for Fast Removal.

It is the REMOVABLE attribute that prevents XP from being
installed on a Drive/Flash device.

USB drives of any type are considered by XP to be removable.
 
Has anyone get it to work as described in claimed success? It appears
to be a lot of work. Maybe it's easier by installing something like
Virtual PC or VMWare on my external drive and then install the system
there. Has anyone tried that route? How is the speed?

THANKS!
 
Seems it would be pretty limited in usefulness, as it would only work on
the particular PC it was "transfered" from.
 
Only insofar as is suggested in the thread referenced. A couple of
individuals apparently tried it, but the degree of success they enjoyed is
not clear. Inference to be drawn is that it would not work with SP2, though
it might with SP1. And, yes, it does seem like a lot of work--probably only
useful if you wished to use as a repair or maintenance OS for the given
machine. Otherwise it would defeat MS intent in WPA, and I expect that
issue is covered.

If it were truly more general, you'd have heard much more of it by now.
 
Back
Top