Installing Windows on a USB Drive

I have an external Hard disk and want to install windows xp/vista on it. I don't intend to remove and plug it into another PC.

The issue is that its a SATA2 notebook HDD and my PC doesn't support SATA 2, and as far as I've seen, the notebook HDD's don't suppor the SATA1 (as they do in desktop by changing the jumper). So I got myself an external case for the hard disk which is USB based.

So is there a way to install windows on a USB hard disk. I've tried XP on it but it fails, BSOD or just restarts.

Any clues?

 

If you're trying a clean install, I don't think Win XP reads usb drives on bootup. Vista does but don't think XP does. XP has to be running before it detects usb drives.

 

Yea I tried a clean install using Xp on a USB, it did detect the HDD but it crashed.

 

Make sure that the motherboard of the computer supports booting from USB drives / flashdrives.

Arrange the BIOS boot sequence something like this:
First boot device - Flash Drive
Second Boot device - CD Rom
Third Boot device - Hard drive

Insert the flash drive, start the computer, insert Windows XP bootable CD. But, there is a chance that before the windows installer will recognize the flash drive, that you might have to format it. If that is the case, use a DOS start up CD, run fdisk, create a partition on the flash drive, make the partition active. Then format the disk with the DOS start up disk.

Some new motherboards look at flash drives as just another hard drive. So treat it as another hard drive. That means setting the boot sequence in BIOS, creating the partition, formatting the disk and then installing the operating system.

I do not know how you install your operating systems, but I do mine the old school way. And that starts with a basic DOS level start up disk that provides CD support.

 

yes actually there is the problem actually happens when the computer reboots to continue installation it doesnt work because windows at installation considers usb devices input rather than output devices. in order to make it work you have to edit the files on the files on the installation cd and burn it to another cd. the instruction i found it earlier using google and created an installation disk with it. but sorry i couldnt give it to you because the cd i used was the oem installed one thus my serial key is hatd burned on it and if i give it to you it would be illegal and i could use my license however i would try to find the website again and post it here

 

I don't think you can install it on USB Drive

 

I think you can but you have to enter to your motherboard setup and enable the usb boot at startup

 

is same procedure in win xp

 

i think that it's crash it don't work properly