Is it possible to boot a windows Operating System from an external USB Hard Drive? -

I want to try out Windows 7, but don t particularly want to partition my main hard drive, but I do have an external USB hard drive I could install it on, but will I be able to boot windows from it? A Google search finds conflicting sources. Some saying it s impossible, some saying it is possible, has anyone done anything like this, so you know if it s possible or not?

I don t think its impossible since I booted an installation CD from a USB CD drive so I think it is possible but this all depends on your BIOS.

You should be able to go into your BIOS settings when you boot your computer and change the boot order. You basically change the order of the devices in which your BIOS looks for an OS.

same problem i tryed to install xp stright to hd but when it rebooted i got the blue screen of death

Yes it is possible, you will need to install in on the usb hard drive but there is a few problems. First you need to set your bios to check usb hard drives before your computer s hard drive. However even then there is another problem. USB s transfer rates is 3 to 6 times slower then the sata cables inside the computer. It is suggested anyone using an external hard drive for an external operating should use external sata connections, otherwise there will be lag because of the slower transfer rates.

Would VMware or Microsoft virtual PC be an option for you? That would be the easiest way to run Windows 7 on an external HD and not mess around with anything. It would be better to use E-Sata instead of USB for speed purposes.

Yes it s possible, but it depends on the motherboard s BIOS. Older BIOSs (say, 3 years old, or older) can t boot from USB hard drives. Newer ones should be OK.