USB Boot

[john454]

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc. I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that. When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

 

[David B.]

Neither Vista nor XP will boot and run from a USB drive, maybe consider
installing a second hard drive and install the "kids" OS on that.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

No. You can only install Windows Vista on an
internal hard drive. You need to setup an individual
account for the children's use. Or you can purchase
a second hard drive and install Windows Vista on
it, creating a dual-boot. This would require a second
Windows Vista license (full).

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience -
Windows Vista Enthusiast

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

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc. I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that. When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc. I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that. When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

You can install Windows on an eSATA external hard drive, but not USB or
Firewire.

ss.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You can install Windows on an external SATA drive if you have an eSATA port
on the back of your computer but not on a USB or Firewire connected external
drive. Consider purchasing an external enclosure that has an eSATA port and
a SATA drive for it. You will, of course, also need an eSATA cable. I have
been running Vista x64 and Vista x86 on just such external drives in a
multi-boot configuration for two years without issues.

 

[The poster formerly known as 'The Poster Formerly]

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc. I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that. When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-22_11-5928902.html

--
"Fair use is not merely a nice concept--it is a federal law based on
free speech rights under the First Amendment and is a cornerstone of the
creativity and innovation that is a hallmark of this country. Consumer
rights in the digital age are not frivolous."
- Maura Corbett

 

[Colon Terminus]

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc. I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that. When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

Consider Microsoft's Virtual Machine facility.
It runs well in Vista and you could install XP in a VM and allow the
children to do whatever they want.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Unless, of course, their games require high-end graphics support.

 

[Gaurav Pandey]

I have been facing this issue with my Kid Brothers for quite some time now!

I ended up creating User Accounts for them with Quota Management.

 

[solon fox]

I bought a new pc for my work which has all the bells and whistles.
Of course the kids want access to the pc so that they can play the
latest games.

I prefer not to install any games on the pc.  I have a couple of
licenses for both Vista Ultimate and XP Pro.

Is there any way to install either Vista or XP on a USB drive and
install their games on that.  When they want to play, they can just
boot their drive off USB, making use of the hardware on my pc?

What everyone else said, and yet another way. Install MS VirtualPC.
Then you can create a virtual machine with Vista or XP or two if you
like.

I run MS VirtualPC with Vista as the host and store the vhd for XP on
a USB jump drive. Works for me.

-solon fox