# Possible? install Windows Vista inside external hard disk?



## CuteSniper22 (Dec 31, 2005)

I have a laptop with processor 1.7ghz and 512DDR2 RAM which suitable to install vista. I heard many people said that 512 RAM just only eonugh store vista services.. means that no more available memory to store other third party software services that installed... 

I know I can increase my page file but I don want to do that because it will slow down performance. 

Is possible install VISTA inside external hard disk? Because I don want install vista inside fixed disk which required reformat disk if vista not suitable for my laptop. Very time consuming to uninstall OS on fixed disk....(Haha I just want to try VISTA only)

Here's my question...

1. If boot from windows Vista DVD, will it able to detect my external hard disk(Is required to change bios settings?)

2. Now if having two OS which *XP inside fixed disk* and *Vista inside external hard disk*, How I gonna choose which OS I want to login at the startup?


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## cjessee (Aug 22, 2005)

Answers:

1. That depends on if your bios is capable of booting from a USB device. Read the manufacturer's instructions to see if this is possible.

2. You are probably going to have to choose one or the other by changing the settings in your bios to point one way or another. So each time you reboot, you are going to have to go into your bios and select the bootable device.

Some other observations: I think that the performance that you are going to get is going to be substandard... you already don't have enough memory and the fact that you will be running the OS from the external drive, well, that should slow it down quite a bit as well. 

Be sure that if you do go through with this that you don't accidentally wipe out your fixed disk... I have seen this happen a lot with people "trying" Vista.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

XP was known to re-intitalize the USB ports while booting. When this happens the drive is taken offline because the ports being re-inititalize, thus no more drive to finish booting from. This usually cause a BSoD and the reason why it couldn't be done. 
I do not know if this issue was addressed in Vista. However I don't think MS would like one of their OS's on a portable drive that you could connect to any number of computers. That would go against their EULA.


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## cjessee (Aug 22, 2005)

Are you suggesting the XP can change your BIOS settings?

Ahh.... Didn't read far enough.... you are right.


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## CuteSniper22 (Dec 31, 2005)

thanks for ur advice... 
howbout if i make a dual boot ?(XP and vista) but a hard disk with few partitions.

Example : i got two partition drives 60GB

C drive NTFS (Windows XP installed) 21.4GB total >>> left only 16.1GB
D drive NTFS (purpose for keeping data files) 34.3 >>> left only 32.1GB

Can make it like this?
C: XP installed 
D: vista installed

2. E.g After I install a software by using windows XP, but how about if I login into Vista, will this software available inside windows vista ?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

if you install vista from within xp it will upgrade xp to vista
unless you increase your ram to 1g i would not bother with it and stick with xp


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

as far as using the apps installed in xp while in vista, nost apps will not work. the installer needs to run from within vista so as the enter the apps into the regstery.


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## DCasi34 (Apr 7, 2005)

So can I
1st HD: C: XP
2nd HD: D: Win 2003
At boot up will it give me an option which OS I can use or Is this a fixed setup in bios? I would love to have the flexibility to choose like a partition with 2 os installed.


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## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

http://www.techsupportforum.com/mic...er/47849-help-please-dual-boot-xp-2003-a.html


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## pinkcar (Apr 23, 2006)

With 512bm of ram and a 1.7GHz processor Vista will run SLOW. You need at least 1GB or ram and a good 2.0GHz+ Processor to be able to run Vista well including other programs at the same time. So if I was you I would stick to XP until you upgrade your ram.


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