Booting from external hard drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter operaflute
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operaflute

Okay, this is new territory for me so I have lots of questions. I've got an
XP machine (Dell) that's dying (motherboard) and a new Vista Preminum machine
(HP). Can I take the drive out of the Dell, put it in an enclosure, choose
it to boot from in the boot menu, and then be using the old hard drive as if
it IS the new computer?
I want to install/make some changes on the old machine/old drive but it
requires a re-boot, which I can't do on the old machine (I can't turn it off
or it won't start again.)
Same question, but maybe clearer - when you boot from an external drive, are
you working completely from that drive as if that drive is now the internal
one?
 
No. You cannot boot into an operating system
if the drive is installed in an external drive enclosure.
Also, if the Windows XP O/S is an OEM preinstalled
by Dell, its license will only be valid with a Dell computer
having a Dell motherboard having a Dell BIOS.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

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

Okay, this is new territory for me so I have lots of questions. I've got an
XP machine (Dell) that's dying (motherboard) and a new Vista Preminum machine
(HP). Can I take the drive out of the Dell, put it in an enclosure, choose
it to boot from in the boot menu, and then be using the old hard drive as if
it IS the new computer?
I want to install/make some changes on the old machine/old drive but it
requires a re-boot, which I can't do on the old machine (I can't turn it off
or it won't start again.)
Same question, but maybe clearer - when you boot from an external drive, are
you working completely from that drive as if that drive is now the internal
one?
 
Vista or XP won't boot from USB, and most of the external drive enclosures
you are likely to see nowadays are USB.
 
Oh, I forgot about the OEM catch... And yes, my enclosure is indeed USB.
Dangit!
Grr - everything is so DIFFICULT!
 
No. You cannot boot into an operating system
if the drive is installed in an external drive enclosure.
Click to expand...

That's not true. (Almost?) Every modern X86 BIOS supports
booting into at least external USB if not 1394 and SCSI also.
 
Vista or XP won't boot from USB, and most of the external drive enclosures
you are likely to see nowadays are USB.
Click to expand...

Ummmm AFAIK all you need to do is change the boot sequence
in BIOS. It's not designed to work that way but it does.
 
I'm going to have to rethink this. These systems out of the box won't set
up to an external USB drive. I am not sure what would happen if you copied
or moved a previously set up disk to an external USB enclosure. There are
articles on the web that purport to allow setting up XP to one, but iirc
they tinker with the order of loading drivers at boot time. If you moved
the disk, it would still have the conventional order of loading drivers, and
that might not work.

You would also have the problem of XP demanding a bunch of drivers that you
may not have, when it "wakes up" on your HP.

It is not strictly true, as one of these other fellows said, that you cannot
boot from a drive in an external HD enclosure. If it is a ATA, SATA or SCSI
drive there is no problem doing so.
 
It is not strictly true, as one of these other fellows said, that you cannot
boot from a drive in an external HD enclosure. If it is a ATA, SATA or SCSI
drive there is no problem doing so.
Click to expand...

You can boot from one, but you can't install and then load the OS from
one.

The OS doesn't understand itself being on a removable drive...
apparently is has a sense of self-preservation <g>
 
Flyboy said:
You can boot from one, but you can't install and then load the OS from
one.

The OS doesn't understand itself being on a removable drive...
apparently is has a sense of self-preservation <g>
Click to expand...

I am talking about an ATA, SATA or SCSI drive that is wired up exactly like
an internal drive, except it is outside the system case. The OS doesn't
know the difference and will install on one without any problem. These are
not hot removable drives though. Come to think of it, most of your current
laptop drives are removable with one or two screws. The one in my Dell just
slides right out. You could in principle install an OS on one, remove the
drive, and put it in the desk drawer as a back up. I have done this. With
the USB external enclosure I am not so sure.
 
I am talking about an ATA, SATA or SCSI drive that is wired up exactly like
an internal drive, except it is outside the system case. The OS doesn't
know the difference and will install on one without any problem.
Click to expand...

Please. If it's wired from internal ports that are meant for internal
drives, then it IS an internal drive no matter where you have it.
With the USB external enclosure I am not so sure.
Click to expand...

It won't work with a USB drive. Period.
 
Flyboy said:
Please. If it's wired from internal ports that are meant for internal
drives, then it IS an internal drive no matter where you have it.
Click to expand...

That's not what Carey said, and he's an MVP. ;^)

Cheers,

Earle
 
the wharf rat said:
Horseshit.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm thinking now, but there are some sticky bits, like the USB
buss reinitializing itself whenever any device is installed or removed.
Once that HD enclosure arrives I think I'll try it.

Cheers,

Earle
 
hmmm, maybe a bootable floppy or CD with the required drivers to load, then
call the files on the USB from there...
kinda a funky workaround, but if you REALLY think you need to...
 
--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
 
You got to be kidding. Have you read all of them. How many people do you think have a Bios that has the option of booting from USB2

And how many people can do the major input needed to get it to work. I done it a few times but I repeat the following

*********So the answer remains. NO you cannot boot from an outside drive*********
 
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