Boot from External USB HDD Enclosure and Run its own R&R

[w0qj]

I have a T42s (2373-K5H) that came pre-installed with Win'XP-Pro SP2.


I have a spare 40 GB notebook HDD lying around, and I'm wondering if I can use it as my bootable HDD (complete with the Pre-Desktop partition, by running Product Recovery CD's on it) for trying out trialware, and then also use my portable HDD to run its own R&R to restore it to its previous state?

All of above using my external USB HDD enclosure, and without touching (erasing) my notebook's HDD Windows/Data.

Thanks in advance!

[NS]

I have a T42s (2373-K5H) that came pre-installed with Win'XP-Pro SP2.


I have a spare 40 GB notebook HDD lying around, and I'm wondering if I can use it as my bootable HDD (complete with the Pre-Desktop partition, by running Product Recovery CD's on it) for trying out trialware, and then also use my portable HDD to run its own R&R to restore it to its previous state?

All of above using my external USB HDD enclosure, and without touching (erasing) my notebook's HDD Windows/Data.

Thanks in advance!

Wow, you must count yourself lucky I just did this yesterday and it worked.

What you can do is:
Take the new HDD out from it'e enclosure and put the HDD into your notebook and run the product recovery from there. After the system asked for the last piece of disk and after it copied finish successfully, take out the CDs and let the new HD complete the factory pre installation on it's own.

Your HD taken out from the TP (I mean the original HD) will not be erased or have it's data deleted. It is saved into the HD.

After running R & R for the new HD, and after it gets it's own windows image to appear in factory state, it is ok. You can take out the HDD and put your original back in. If you got any new softwares to try out on the HD, simply take out the original and use the new HD and try your new software out and if anything goes wrong, just click IBM Access and run factory setting anf everything will be reformatted back to factory setting.

But all in all, pls REMEMBER to backup all your important datas before proceeding the factory reformat.

NS cannot be held liable if your data is lost during the factory reformat if you never heed his advise in backing up your important datas.

Any thing you want to know more about re formatting, you can reply me here or PM me. I just record my IBM Image on 2 HD to prevent HD failure which occured last saturday because i abuse my TP just to vent my anger on the screen hang and lock ups.

BTW: windows do not boot from external HDs, if i am not wrong.
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Read this: (extracted with courtesy from the eldergeek.com, username: Ricardo)

Yes you can boot your PC from a USB flash drive but it depends on the USB drive and your motherboard. However Windows will not run from a USB drive but you can run a lot of other window applications. You can run LINUX from a CD disk and so a USB stick should be no problem.

To make the USB keys boot is a combination of your motherboard BIOS, USB key, the key format and the files included on it.
Step 1 is to check your BIOS setup program for options to enable USB booting, thenl choose a USB devise to be first in the boot order. If you have no BIOS option then a upgrade is required before you can go further.

Next you need to make the key itself bootable with the right boot sector and startup files. You can create them on a floppy with a right click on the A: in Explorer. Next transfer them to the USB drive. Thel following format tool works on many (but not all) USB keys:
h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/hpcpqdt/us/download/20306.html Choose your device select the fat file system, check 'Create a DOS startup disk' and point it at the floppy.

You can also try www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_bootfromusbstick.php
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[w0qj]

Thank you for your quick & very through reply to help!

1. Will try this out in these next few days (got a spare 20 GB HDD in external USB enclosure that i'll be using exclusively for going online for internet banking... and then use R&R to image back to its pristine state afterwards...


2. BTW, the following link don't work:
h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/hpcpqdt/us/download/20306.html

***I had posted last month that this utility was no longer available--and I couldn't find any replacement for it in the HP site... do you know where it is? Tks in advance for your help!

[Kyocera]

There is an option inthe R&R environment (f11 at bootup) to create a bootable drive as opposed to CD's to recover your machine to factory if that's what your are talking about. All Programs Access IBM, create rescue media. Select the usb hard disk drive. reboot. Be sure the media is connected.