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Creating a bootable Windows partition on an external USB Harddrive

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by dodgy.general

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I've now bought external harddrive housing with SATA->USB adapter for my internal SATA harddrive to be able to use it with my new portable.

Is it possible to make a bootable windows partitions on it (in addition to the bootable partition already on my internal harddive), and if it is possible, would the performance when running an OS off the USB-HD be worse than if running an OS from the internal sata HD? It's 7200RPM, but thinking more of transfer rates, or other bottlenecks that I don't know about.

The idea is to have one harddrive for my photoshop software and work that I can carry around and where Windows is otherwise clean/not bloated.

If this is possible without performance degradation, how would i go about doing it?

(I don't want the OS on the external to show up in the boot menu of the internal HD! I want to have the boot order in bios so that if the ext hardrive is connected it automatically boots from it instead of the internal)

5 replies

by toivo talikka

You will need to have a separate license for the Windows installation on your external hard drive. You will most certainly run into problems with authenticating Windows if you try to use your existing Windows product code. From memory, you are allowed to keep a backup copy on different media, but the spirit of the EULA is that you will not be able to boot and run from the copy.

As an idea, you should be able to add a second hardware profile to your laptop where you have disabled unnecessary services from loading, which should make Windows faster.

by dodgy.general

Hello again and thanks for reply!

As I am working with photography professionally I am wiling to get a separate license just for this purpose. Not only because of bloatedness, but because I'll have a portable system.

That being said, and no offence, my question wasn't really angled at licensing issues. I still need to know if it can be done technically without any performance degradation when running it over USB and without messing up my existing bootable partition and boot menu.

To add a hardware profile is certainly also interesting but doesn't give me a portable stand-alone system on the ext. harddrive besides I would want a clean install also in the software sense (that is, Photoshop ONLY)

by homusonline

I think it may be quite an undertaking to pull this off, unfortunately.

I don't know if a USB drive is the way to go. Most of the bigger drives I have seen don't support a fast throughput rate for the drive. Running an application at 20MB/s does severely drag on ones patience, and booting from a drive like that could lead to felonious acts of vandalism. This link should probably help, even better it is from a photo site:

http://www.photographyblog.com/index.php/weblog/comments/lacie_d2_sata_ii_3gbits_hard_drive_series/

This LeClie would be a good start, and it is mentioned that it can be booted to, and offers PCI and PCMCIA expansion cards, so PC or laptop you're good to go. It is also SATA, so drive throughput rates are good.

Next would be to make sure your PC or Laptop would listen if you told it to boot to the drive. I really haven't had to stick my fingers in BIOS settings in a while, so I can not be sure the USB port is a valid boot option. As long as it can see and boot from the drive, this can be done.

While it is good that you understand the licensing issues, I think there is an addtional consideration. When you say portable operating system, do you mean you want to attach it to any computer you come across? I don't think the EULA likes that, and XP won't either. There are other considerations (like the HAL on the PC) or worse. Also if the hardware changes drastically it could ask you to re-validate windows.

I would say this could work with a little diligence and elbow grease, and a decent amount of cash. But I only think it would work if you want an alternate for a specific PC or laptop. Not something you could just attach and load on any PC.

Hope it helps narrow it down

by naples.mpls

trying to install xp os on external hdd but when i install xp os with external it reads drive but when i select the drive or partion
during installation it goes to screen telling me i need special software or driver install for scsi adapter from laptop manufactuer or external hdd manufactuer where do i find this special software so that i can run my cpu xp os completely from my external hdd without an internal hdd please help thanks my laptop is a toshiba

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