Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive - Club CDFreaks

Llun · 08-01-2007

Hello to the forum. I am trying to install Windows XP Professional on my Western Digital USB external hard disk but my first attempt was not successful... My WD disk appears in BIOS and when i boot from the cd it lets me install on it but when it reboots the PC hangs...

Can someone help me?

*CDan* · 08-01-2007

Your motherboard must be able to boot from a USB device. Many boards cannot, others require that you enable this function in BIOS. Be sure you have Legacy support enabled in BIOS as well.

Llun · 08-01-2007

My board has the option to "Boot from other devices". I put it on yes but i think the computer is not booting from it... i have XP home edition on my internal hard drive...

Llun · 08-01-2007

I installed XP again on USB drive with no success... on boot the 2 two XP installations appear but only the one in my internal drive boots...

*CDan* · 08-01-2007

Suggest you consult with the board's maker to see if booting to USB is possible. Perhaps there's BIOS available that will enable this. The "boot from other device" option usually refers to PCI cards and the like.

Llun · 08-01-2007

Going to read the manual now...

Llun · 10-01-2007

Nope... Cannot boot from my USB Hard Drive...

Any ideas?

gregtherotterius · 12-01-2007

contact tech support of manufacturer of ur mobo

*DrageMester* · 12-01-2007

AFAIK you cannot boot Windows XP Home/Professional from USB because at some point in the booting process, the USB support is temporarily reset/lost so you lose the connection to the USB drive.

I don't have a reference handy, however.

It's possible to boot some modified/reduced versions of Windows XP (e.g. BartPE) from an USB drive, but I don't think that's what you want to do.

*lui_gough* · 12-01-2007

Search on google. I tried. Won't work. DrageMester is absolutely correct.

It all boils down to the XP boot process, when it loads the USB driver, resets the USB bus to re-enumerate the bus devices. When it does so, USB HDD is disconnected, and windows boot process will not be able to find the original drive as it has been enumerated to another "place". So, when this happens, you WILL get a blue-screen that complains of BOOT_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND or something similar [brain's rusty].

http://www.flexbeta.net/forums/lofiv...php/t7395.html

Llun · 13-01-2007

Thanks guys... since the external USB drive is available from BIOS i thought i could install XP on it...

I did not get a blue screen... i get a dark screen with no messages at all after the xp cd tells me to reboot my computer...

I have to try making a Ghost of a previous XP installation...

guzey · 28-05-2007

Wow glad I'm not the only one who has tried and failed doing with this

skelton · 30-05-2007

Time for a bit of Linux advocacy

You could always try Linux instead. I have just installed
PCLinuxOS on an external 250GB USB2 drive.

J7N · 30-05-2007

Dear moderators. All right this time I won't mention the reason why I have my external harddive. :MAD:

It is perfectly possible to install Windows XP SP1 on a USB harddisk. I did it following instructions which are still available by this address: http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

reasonsnotrules · 30-05-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by J7N

Dear moderators. All right this time I won't mention the reason why I have my external harddive. :MAD:

It is perfectly possible to install Windows XP SP1 on a USB harddisk. I did it following instructions which are still available by this address: http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

interesting link. just wanted to mention that the link also assumes that your bios has an option to boot from USB. if you cann't boot from USB then the capability of windows to boot from usb is a non-issue since you won't be able to.

seemed obvious, but I just wanted to pu tthat out there!

J7N · 30-05-2007

Of course. That page deals with the issue when WinXP takes control of USB over from BIOS.

A little sideeffect of NGINE guide is that USB mass storage devices no longer get installed automatically. The user must do 'search for driver' the first time he plugs in a MSD.

08-01-2007	#1 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Hello to the forum. I am trying to install Windows XP Professional on my Western Digital USB external hard disk but my first attempt was not successful... My WD disk appears in BIOS and when i boot from the cd it lets me install on it but when it reboots the PC hangs... Can someone help me?

08-01-2007	#2 (permalink)
CDan CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,805	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Your motherboard must be able to boot from a USB device. Many boards cannot, others require that you enable this function in BIOS. Be sure you have Legacy support enabled in BIOS as well.

08-01-2007	#3 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive My board has the option to "Boot from other devices". I put it on yes but i think the computer is not booting from it... i have XP home edition on my internal hard drive...

08-01-2007	#4 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive I installed XP again on USB drive with no success... on boot the 2 two XP installations appear but only the one in my internal drive boots...

08-01-2007	#5 (permalink)
CDan CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,805	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Suggest you consult with the board's maker to see if booting to USB is possible. Perhaps there's BIOS available that will enable this. The "boot from other device" option usually refers to PCI cards and the like.

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08-01-2007	#6 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Going to read the manual now...

10-01-2007	#7 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Nope... Cannot boot from my USB Hard Drive... Any ideas?

12-01-2007	#8 (permalink)
gregtherotterius CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,776	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive contact tech support of manufacturer of ur mobo __________________ Member of http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php? My rig: Sony cmt-se1/NEC WGX2 hooked up to mds-jb980/hooked up to optical out of Asus A8N-SLI premium mobo=my comp=jukebox. Headphones: Audio Technica ATH-A900 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...tled-small.gif AMD X2 4600, 1 x EVGA 8800GTX, A8N-SLI Premium mobo, 2 x 1gb corsair value ram, 1 x 250gb Seagate 7200.9rpm SATAII hdd, 1 x 10KRPM WD Raptor 75gb Drives: Writing: SL: Sony DRX-800UL// BenQ 1650//Pioneer DVR-111 DL:BenQ 1650//Sony DRX-800UL//Pioneer DVR-111

12-01-2007	#9 (permalink)
DrageMester Retired Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Denmark Posts: 14,915	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive AFAIK you cannot boot Windows XP Home/Professional from USB because at some point in the booting process, the USB support is temporarily reset/lost so you lose the connection to the USB drive. I don't have a reference handy, however. It's possible to boot some modified/reduced versions of Windows XP (e.g. BartPE) from an USB drive, but I don't think that's what you want to do. __________________ Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

12-01-2007	#10 (permalink)
lui_gough CDFreaks Resident Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: .au/sydney Posts: 1,025	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Search on google. I tried. Won't work. DrageMester is absolutely correct. It all boils down to the XP boot process, when it loads the USB driver, resets the USB bus to re-enumerate the bus devices. When it does so, USB HDD is disconnected, and windows boot process will not be able to find the original drive as it has been enumerated to another "place". So, when this happens, you WILL get a blue-screen that complains of BOOT_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND or something similar [brain's rusty]. http://www.flexbeta.net/forums/lofiv...php/t7395.html __________________ Drives I Own (and are in use in one of my many computers): - 3x BenQ DW1640 - 2x Pioneer DVR-111L - LG 4163B - Liteon SOHW-1633@1653s - Nu-Tech DDW-082 - Liteon 166s - Pioneer 120S - BenQ 1650s - LG GCE-8523B - Liteon LTR-5224 - BenQ 5224W - Liteon SOSW-852S - Philips DVD+-RW SDVD8820 - Ricoh MP7163A - Asus CD-S500/A

13-01-2007	#11 (permalink)
Llun CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 295	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Thanks guys... since the external USB drive is available from BIOS i thought i could install XP on it... I did not get a blue screen... i get a dark screen with no messages at all after the xp cd tells me to reboot my computer... I have to try making a Ghost of a previous XP installation...

28-05-2007	#12 (permalink)
guzey New on Forum Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Wow glad I'm not the only one who has tried and failed doing with this

30-05-2007	#13 (permalink)
skelton CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 670	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Time for a bit of Linux advocacy You could always try Linux instead. I have just installed PCLinuxOS on an external 250GB USB2 drive.

30-05-2007	#14 (permalink)
J7N CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 63	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Dear moderators. All right this time I won't mention the reason why I have my external harddive. :MAD: It is perfectly possible to install Windows XP SP1 on a USB harddisk. I did it following instructions which are still available by this address: http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pageid=4176

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30-05-2007	#16 (permalink)
J7N CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 63	Re: Install XP Professional on an USB Hard Drive Of course. That page deals with the issue when WinXP takes control of USB over from BIOS. A little sideeffect of NGINE guide is that USB mass storage devices no longer get installed automatically. The user must do 'search for driver' the first time he plugs in a MSD.