Booting Windows from a USB drive?

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ComputerMinder · #1 Post by **ComputerMinder** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:28 pm

Many times I come across situations where I would like to mess around with installing software on a test platform to see how it operated before installing it on my actual work platform.

Since I don't have two notebooks, just one. I was thinking if it could be possible to connect a USB HD to my X61s, boot from the Recovery CD & DVD, install the recovery partition and everything on the USB Drive. That way, I can switch to boot sometimes from my real work platform (my internal HD) and other times to disable the internal HD from the bios (not sure if that's possible) and only leave the USB HD and tell the Bios to boot from it.

Comments?

Thanks

hmphargh · #2 Post by **hmphargh** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:30 pm

I'm not sure how to do it, but I have tried before, and Microsoft really makes it hard to do. I have read tutorials that claim to allow you to do it, but I have not gotten any of them to work. Good luck and please post if you figure out how to do it; I'd be interested in doing that as well.

mhm · #3 Post by **mhm** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:08 pm

This http://www.911cd.net/forums might help you. I didn't try booting windows from usb but I kept the link as reference anyway.

No need to disable the internal disk. Just select the boot device using F12. Or change the boot order in the BIOS setup.

Anyway, it seems to be more work than one is willing to put up with but that could be just me. Good luck and post your results.

(maybe move this thread to the general windows forum?)

timendres · #4 Post by **timendres** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:11 pm

Use your USB drive and install VMware Server. With the CPU in your machine, and enough memory, you will find the VM solution very reasonable - possibly quite superior to "dual-booting". Personally, I love it.

pdudas · #5 Post by **pdudas** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:15 pm

Windows Xp cannot boot from USB hardware.
There is a hack, where some files replaced from the 2003server, but that is only working on PE (Winpe/Bartpe).

Winpe/bartpe systems can be easily copy to USB sticks by flashboot.

I think you should change the drives in the thinkpad! I did it several times. Remove the screws, and the drive will fit in the cage holding by the rubber rails in place (so you can put it back to the thinkpad without screws..)

ComputerMinder · #6 Post by **ComputerMinder** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:43 pm

pdudas wrote:Windows Xp cannot boot from USB hardware.
There is a hack, where some files replaced from the 2003server, but that is only working on PE (Winpe/Bartpe).

Winpe/bartpe systems can be easily copy to USB sticks by flashboot.

I think you should change the drives in the thinkpad! I did it several times. Remove the screws, and the drive will fit in the cage holding by the rubber rails in place (so you can put it back to the thinkpad without screws..)

Thanks I already did that once to put in my new Hitachi 2K7200 drive but I am not going to do it every few days just to boot to another system. I thought booting from a USB drive was easy but I guess not. Iwindows starts loading but they I get bluescreen.I have no time for hacks. i wish there was an easy solution that would not require replacing the disk each time as this is unacceptable.

pdudas · #7 Post by **pdudas** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:02 pm

If you have an x6 docking system you should buy a thinkpad 2nd hdd adapter and put it to the place of the optical drive.

ComputerMinder · #8 Post by **ComputerMinder** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:29 pm

timendres wrote:Use your USB drive and install VMware Server. With the CPU in your machine, and enough memory, you will find the VM solution very reasonable - possibly quite superior to "dual-booting". Personally, I love it.

Hey, I am basically looking for just a test platform to make all expirimintations on. I will work mostly in the non virtual worspace. but for testing new programs of installing some peer-to-peer prg etc i want a totally isoltated workspace that would not have any chance of ruining my normla working os. Could I achieve that with Visa installed on a virtual workspace? I went to Vmware but was overwhelmed by too many options and not sure what would suit my machine. My first priority is stability, can't afford any malwritten software on my X61s at no cost. Let me know how you use Vmware. Thanks

timendres · #9 Post by **timendres** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:46 pm

You are only interested in two things at VMware. VMPlayer is used to run an *existing* virtual machine. I don't think there is any way to use it to create a virtual machine. To do that, you need VMServer. It is a free download. You install the software, and then you load the "Client" application for it. Using the Client program, you see the virtual machines running in the VMServer that is running as a Windows service. You use VMServer to "create" a virtual machine, and give that vm an ISO image that it will mount as the CD Drive. If you give it an ISO of your installer CD (or DVD), it will boot up and begin the install process.

However, now that I see you mention Vista, I remember something about the EULA mentioning restrictions on this, and I do not know if those restrictions are coded into the OS. So you might want to do a quick Google search to see if others have had success building Vista under VMServer.

#10 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:19 am

VMware makes a great sandbox. It takes a while to build a decent test machine, so I just make a copy, test in the copy, and then delete the copy. Saves building a new test machine. ... JDH

Booting Windows from a USB drive?

Booting Windows from a USB drive?

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