Possible to install Windows XP on external HDD?

deathscythe99 SG

Hi all! Is it possible to install Windows XP on an external HDD, so that I can run the OS from the HDD instead of the one on my computer? How do I do it?

BrUtUs SG

why do u wan tat?

deathscythe99 SG

For moving an entire OS and the respective programs around...so I can work with it where-ever I can do so! :)

Sponge234 SG

You can but if would be really really really really slow cause they need to transfer data thru a 2.0usb?Lmao i can die waiting though

caleb_chiang SG

Yes, you can... but you need to set the rest of the computers to boot with your HDD first.

Sponge234 SG

Yeh But seriously speaking don do it its only wasting your time

abao SG

You can but if would be really really really really slow cause they need to transfer data thru a 2.0usb?Lmao i can die waiting though

That's the price of portability heh. But it isnt that slow lar. 35mbs on USB 2.0 IDE as compared to 80+mbs for IDE ATA-133.

LatecomerX SG

Hmm. It won't work unless you are able to settle the driver issues and licensing issues due to difference in hardware.

I once moved my HDD, installed with XP, from one build to another and ended up spending hours trying to remove old drivers and looking for the required ones. Lucky for me, it was an unofficial trial copy of the XP Pro Student Edition so they didn't complained about the change in hardware.

Anyway, you may want to consider using a LiveCD instead.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livecd

ndmmxiaomayi SG

If I'm not mistaken, it's not possible to boot up to XP on any portable devices. Because portable devices drivers are loaded only when you plugged it in. You can however, create a bootable XP disc image on a portable device. Bootable doesn't mean installable and usable.

Windows does load USB drivers, but only after the computer boots up. If you use a USB optical or laser mouse, you will know that. The USB mouse don't work until the computer has booted up, right before you log in.

This irritable feature is finally available in Vista.