Is it possible?

[Patrick]

Is it possible to set up an external H/D to behave like the internal C: drive and boot from that in the same way.

Or is there another way to continue using the current set up while making a new one. I want to do a clean install of Vista, (I originally did a upgrade on the laptop) but need to have access to my commuter for business but know a fresh start will take some time to complete.
When the new setup is made and working correctly without data loss the old would be discarded and deleted.

Patrick

[Tinka]

Re: Is it possible?

Is it possible to set up an external H/D to behave like the internal C: drive and boot from that in the same way.

Or is there another way to continue using the current set up while making a new one. I want to do a clean install of Vista, (I originally did a upgrade on the laptop) but need to have access to my commuter for business but know a fresh start will take some time to complete.
When the new setup is made and working correctly without data loss the old would be discarded and deleted.

Patrick

Hi Patrick,
It is possible, but first you must install windows to the external, and set up the start up options to search for the external drive in sequence, in normal set ups, a computer normally "1st" searches the floppy for start up files finding none it then "2nd" searches for CD rom, finding none it then searches "C" and usually finds what it needs to boot, you must include your external in this sequence "BEFORE" the "C" drive, you really do need someone who knows what they are doing. Good Luck,
Dave

[yoshi]

Re: Is it possible?

It might also worth considering to use eSATA. You need to have HDD which has eSATA connector and eSATA interface. The added HDD via eSATA (external Serial ATA) can be bootable one, if you so choose.
However, at this moment, I can not confirm whether it works on Vista.
I have not yet used this but this is a feature I want to have for my next PC.
yoshi

[yoshi]

Re: Is it possible?

It might also worth considering to use eSATA. You need to have HDD which has eSATA connector and eSATA interface. The added HDD via eSATA (external Serial ATA) can be bootable one, if you so choose.
However, at this moment, I can not confirm whether it works on Vista.
I have not yet used this but this is a feature I want to have for my next PC.
yoshi

forgot to mention that the speed of eSATA is much faster than USB 2.0 connection. My memory has a bit eroded but it was three times faster (big question mark ) To put it differently, the external HDD behaves exactly same as internal HDD in terms of the communication speed. (- Your PC is new so I asume the internal HDD is connected via normal SATA)
yoshi

[rogleale]

Re: Is it possible?

The first thing to determine Patrick is whether your motherboard has a "boot from USB device " facility. If it does it would be possible.
Are you planning to do it using your laptop or your desktop? If the latter, my method would be to install an IDE HD in place of the working HD, and install Vista on that. That way your old OS is always available in the five minutes it takes to swap the HD.

Roger

[Patrick]

Re: Is it possible?

The first thing to determine Patrick is whether your motherboard has a "boot from USB device " facility. If it does it would be possible.
Are you planning to do it using your laptop or your desktop? If the latter, my method would be to install an IDE HD in place of the working HD, and install Vista on that. That way your old OS is always available in the five minutes it takes to swap the HD.

Roger

Thank you all for replying, I have checked in the BIOS and both laptop and PC both appear to support booting from a USB device.

Both Laptop and PC have Sata H/D and the PC I think supports Sata only and has no IDE. I don't believe eSATA is supported must confess I have never heard of it.

So will give installing Vista to a external H/D a try.
The plan being when its running properly with all my business stuff in place to format the C: partition on the Laptop and copy the new setup over.
Next question will I need software for this like Norton Ghost to clone the thing to the L/top H/D? (I used to use Drive Image 7 for backups to external H/D but it wont run under Vista and Symantec bought them out has this now become Norton Ghost?) Alternatively is there any network hardware at a reasonable price that could cover the job,and then be used for backing up and storage thereafter?

Thanks again for the help.

Patrick

[Stephen]

Re: Is it possible?

Is it possible to set up an external H/D to behave like the internal C: drive and boot from that in the same way.

Or is there another way to continue using the current set up while making a new one. I want to do a clean install of Vista, (I originally did a upgrade on the laptop) but need to have access to my commuter for business but know a fresh start will take some time to complete.
When the new setup is made and working correctly without data loss the old would be discarded and deleted.

Patrick

Patrick, I've followed the advice and suggestions given in response to your post and it all seems somewhat complicated and unnecessary

I tend to see it in more simplistic terms. All your data including photos, work docs etc should be held in My Documents. The exception is normally emails and email client data. Plus anything you need to retain from your web browser. Now surely if all this is backed up to the external HD then thats the main thing. You can then go ahead and reinstall the operating system which will take around an hour, then put the data back. Why bother with installing a new OS on an ext HD, are you not making work for yourself?

[Patrick]

Re: Is it possible?

Patrick, I've followed the advice and suggestions given in response to your post and it all seems somewhat complicated and unnecessary

I tend to see it in more simplistic terms. All your data including photos, work docs etc should be held in My Documents. The exception is normally emails and email client data. Plus anything you need to retain from your web browser. Now surely if all this is backed up to the external HD then thats the main thing. You can then go ahead and reinstall the operating system which will take around an hour, then put the data back. Why bother with installing a new OS on an ext HD, are you not making work for yourself?

Hi Stephen I know what you are saying done it many times over the years,
Its the laptop as I said dedicated to business with little or no images stored and even the My Documents file has been moved to a separate partition so all that will remain untouched.
The trouble is it takes more than an hour nor so to reinstal everything, there is is all the programs, and I may need the computer while I am doing all this work.

If I can work the way I am planning I can take my time and ensure everything is just so and how I want it.
The thought is even going through my mind if it works to keep it that way, almost like a third computer but not quite.

Patrick

[yoshi]

Re: Is it possible?

I don't believe eSATA is supported must confess I have never heard of it.

Patrick

Hi Patric, just for reference.

http://www.sata-io.org/esata.asp

****************

About an year ago or so I changed my HD Drive C according to the way similar to that suggested by rogleale.

As Stephen says, a simpler way is in many cases a better method especially when a failure can be an critical error. I copied MyDocuments and some others (although they were not on drive C) to DVD's and also to HD D: or E: (second HDD or partitioned drive but not bootable) so I had two sets of backups before replacing HD C:
yoshi

P.S. How about this software? http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing...s/migrateeasy/

When I bought an external HDD last year three or four softwares were bundled and this one is for HD data migration. I did not finally use this though. - just played around with it.
I think, before starting the replacement, I used another software which made me possible to make a bootable DVD in case of emergency but I do not remember the details any more. Fortunately all those backups were not necessary.

[rogleale]

Re: Is it possible?

Hi Patrick,
I have just been close to the same scenario. I am a software freak, I download and try many odd programmes, with the expected result - major slow-downs!

Last week, when the boot time was approaching 3 minutes I decided to wipe 'C' and re-install Vista. I had done it several times with XP so no worries, I backed everything up to an external HD, and booted off the Vista DVD. To my surprise the options one had with XP, eg Repair, aren't available with Vista so I couldn't format 'C' and then re-install, instead I bit my lip and chose 'Install' expecting loads of work afterwards because of a polluted OS.
Much to my surprise Vista ran through the install procedure as normal, re-booted, and everything was there untouched. All the documents, downloads, etc, were still there, and boot time was back to the normal 55 to 60 secs. All the programmes, in another partition, still booted correctly, even Photoshop which usually insists on being re-installed. All I had to do was re-download all the MS updates! Much easier that installing another OS, and I didn't need any of the back-ups!

A great improvement over XP!

Roger

[Patrick]

Re: Is it possible?

Hi Patrick,
I have just been close to the same scenario. I am a software freak, I download and try many odd programmes, with the expected result - major slow-downs!

Last week, when the boot time was approaching 3 minutes I decided to wipe 'C' and re-install Vista. I had done it several times with XP so no worries, I backed everything up to an external HD, and booted off the Vista DVD. To my surprise the options one had with XP, eg Repair, aren't available with Vista so I couldn't format 'C' and then re-install, instead I bit my lip and chose 'Install' expecting loads of work afterwards because of a polluted OS.
Much to my surprise Vista ran through the install procedure as normal, re-booted, and everything was there untouched. All the documents, downloads, etc, were still there, and boot time was back to the normal 55 to 60 secs. All the programmes, in another partition, still booted correctly, even Photoshop which usually insists on being re-installed. All I had to do was re-download all the MS updates! Much easier that installing another OS, and I didn't need any of the back-ups!

A great improvement over XP!

Roger

Hi Roger

Don't forget my scenario was that I ungraded to Vista and didn't do a clean install, against advice I must say.

Its the clean install I want now. The PC is so much snappier to use and was a clean install.
The laptop spec isn't that much different. I know a laptop is not going to be as fast as a PC but I do think the machine is under performing at the moment, particularly at boot up, also Photoshop takes a very long time to load an image even small JPG's although the program itself loads reasonably well.

Patrick

[Patrick]

Re: Is it possible?

[QUOTE=yoshi;27666]Hi Patric, just for reference.

http://www.sata-io.org/esata.asp

****************

Thanks for that Yoshi, food for thought.

Patrick

[JSR]

Re: Is it possible?

Because of this kind of thing, these days I run my "essential aps" from a U3 key. That contains Browser & Settings, Email & Settings, FTP & Settings, Open Office, other aps such as AntiVirus, WinRAR, WinSCP, newsreader, writing ap, sound aps, media player, graphics ap, web-creation ap, backup software, etc etc.

When it comes to wiping the PC, if I need to do normal work in the meantime I just pop the U3 key into any other available PC or laptop and everything I need is there ready and waiting.

The only things my main desktop PC is used for now are the heavy graphics aps and regular MS Office (which the U3's OpenOffice will cope with until the PC's up and running). Everything else that has settings that need saving are held on the U3 key, so it doesn't matter which PC I use. There's no longer anything essential on my PC - files and that are on other hard drives, external hard drives, and the network drive. The main PC could be wiped tomorrow and I'd lose nothing, because I'd just plug the U3 into any other available computer.

Cheap, reliable, convenient. It obviously can't let you cart Photoshop around all over the place with you, nor does it help if you don't have a second PC available, but it works for me and it ensures that a computer crash or other problem doesn't leave me high and dry.

[Patrick]

Re: Is it possible?

Because of this kind of thing, these days I run my "essential aps" from a U3 key. That contains Browser & Settings, Email & Settings, FTP & Settings, Open Office, other aps such as AntiVirus, WinRAR, WinSCP, newsreader, writing ap, sound aps, media player, graphics ap, web-creation ap, backup software, etc etc.

When it comes to wiping the PC, if I need to do normal work in the meantime I just pop the U3 key into any other available PC or laptop and everything I need is there ready and waiting.

The only things my main desktop PC is used for now are the heavy graphics aps and regular MS Office (which the U3's OpenOffice will cope with until the PC's up and running). Everything else that has settings that need saving are held on the U3 key, so it doesn't matter which PC I use. There's no longer anything essential on my PC - files and that are on other hard drives, external hard drives, and the network drive. The main PC could be wiped tomorrow and I'd lose nothing, because I'd just plug the U3 into any other available computer.

Cheap, reliable, convenient. It obviously can't let you cart Photoshop around all over the place with you, nor does it help if you don't have a second PC available, but it works for me and it ensures that a computer crash or other problem doesn't leave me high and dry.

This sounds just what I'm looking for, just one small problem I don't know what what U3 is
Be obliged if you could help me

Patrick

[JSR]

Re: Is it possible?

This sounds just what I'm looking for, just one small problem I don't know what what U3 is
Be obliged if you could help me

Patrick

No probs - www.u3.com.

In brief, it's a typical USB memory stick pre-loaded with the "U3 launcher". When you plug it into a PC (Windows XP, Vista, etc), the launcher appears as a 'U3' icon in the system tray. Clicking that brings up a menu that's not too dissimilar to the typical Windows 'start' menu. That lists any installed aps that you have. A lot of aps are free (Firefox for browsing, Thunderbird for Email, OpenOffice) - in fact the only thing I've paid for is the 2-years of anti-virus.

If you're feeling brave and you have a spare USB key handy, you can try out the open-source totally free version at http://www.portableapps.com/. Unlike U3 (which comes pre-installed on the USB key and holds your hand a little bit), PortableApps is a suite/selection of free programs that you can install on any USB key you have spare.

I use U3 versions of aps where available, and have a bunch of the PortableApps free software running off a secondary menu called PStart.

Because the programs, such as internet and email, run from the U3 (or PortableApps) USB key, all settings are held there too. There's no need to copy from one machine or sync or whatever, you just plug the key into some other computer and everything's already there waiting for you.

When you eject the U3/PortableApps key, any temporarily-loaded files are removed from the PC so you don't leave any settings or files behind.

I originally had U3 on a 2GB Verbatim stick but decided to go for a 4GB Sandisk version so I have enough space to carry a number of files around with me if need be. I've installed no end of aps that I either use a lot, or may use one day, and have a number of files on it and I still have a good 1GB free. You can get smaller U3 sticks or install the lite/basic version of PortableApps on a stick as small as you like.

The U3 stick can also be password protected, and can be set to auto-launch software when you plug it in.

One word of caution. I hear a rumour that U3 may be replaced by a Microsoft-partnered version - which may mean that the next version will cost more. At the moment you can buy a U3 stick for the same price as a regular USB stick, so it costs nothing extra to try it out. I'm sure the MS version will be a little different.

Big-name software (Photoshop, etc) cannot be installed to a U3 or other USB drive because they want you to buy and install on every machine. Carrying the software around means they'd sell less, so they're never likely to make them available in this way. There's plenty of open source stuff that can be used like this, though.

Not for everyone, but it works for me. (Incidentally, I'm replying to this using the Firefox on the U3 key while Thunderbird U3 is checking my emails.)