Install Windows to a USB external drive?

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/

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

"cpliu" wrote:

| 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

On 03/01/2006 "Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfrisch@nospamgmail.com> wrote:
>Windows can only be installed on an internal drive.
>External drives are designed for file storage only.
>

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.

--
---

Y.

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.

"Yves Leclerc" <yvesleclercNOSPAM@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:OvFXdOKEGHA.140@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> On 03/01/2006 "Carey Frisch [MVP]" <cnfrisch@nospamgmail.com> wrote:
>>Windows can only be installed on an internal drive.
>>External drives are designed for file storage only.
>>
>
> 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.
>
> --
> ---
>
> Y.
>

cpliu wrote:

> 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

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

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User

>... 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.

Microsoft's (inconsistent) position:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device.../usb-boot.mspx

A thread discussing a claimed success:
http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/.../msg00332.html
hth,
Joe
"liu" <spamfreeliu@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1136322749.266790.307020@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> >... coping a "known" working internal IDE drive.
>
> Can you elaborate or provide link to a solution?
>
> Thanks,
>

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/

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

"liu" wrote:

| It's a IDE drive turned into external USB drive connected through USB 2
| port on a laptop.

liu wrote:

>>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.
>

I don't believe that will work.

--
Rock
MS MVP Windows - Shell/User