My PC died but I salvaged the HDs. I placed them both in external cases and connected them via USB cables to my laptop. Is there a way I can set one of them up as my boot disk? I want to run some porgrams that are not on my laptop, but keep getting error messages.
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external HD
- Thread starter bobsalas
- Start date
NoCalAdmin
IS-IT--Management
can you see the USB drives as something you can select in the BIOS as a boot up device?
I would think you should be able to boot up into the laptop and access those programs. They're not running off their installed paths or ackowleding the programs installed?
It is like installing programs on any other secondary hard drive. You don't have to install programs on C: .........
What are the errors you are receiving?
Tom
Tom
I would think you should be able to boot up into the laptop and access those programs. They're not running off their installed paths or ackowleding the programs installed?
It is like installing programs on any other secondary hard drive. You don't have to install programs on C: .........
What are the errors you are receiving?
Tom
Tom
The only way I can think of would be to partition your laptop hard drive (provided it's large enough) and then clone the OS USB drive to an empty partition using Ghost 2003 or Acronis True Image. Boot into windows CD and select the new partition and perform an in-place repair (second repair option) to load the new hardware data. You will then need to install the laptop's drivers into the old install. You might have to re-activate the old install.
Now, every time you boot you will be given the option to boot into either OS. You will probably not be able to boot from an alien HDD as it has no data on the current laptop hardware.
If your laptop BIOS supports booting from USB then you could theoretically remove your laptop HDD (to avoid disaster) and then try the in-place repair on the USB drive whilst booting from the Windows CD.
If you want to move your old HD data & programs into your laptop and lose the current install you can try Laplink's PCMover program.
Tony
Now, every time you boot you will be given the option to boot into either OS. You will probably not be able to boot from an alien HDD as it has no data on the current laptop hardware.
If your laptop BIOS supports booting from USB then you could theoretically remove your laptop HDD (to avoid disaster) and then try the in-place repair on the USB drive whilst booting from the Windows CD.
If you want to move your old HD data & programs into your laptop and lose the current install you can try Laplink's PCMover program.
Tony
- Thread starter
- #4
- Status