operating system from usb hard drive.

[xpcpu]

i have a laptop that does not have the hard drive connector.

I have installed windows to a usb hard drive but when i try to boot from the drive all that comes up is 'mbr missing'.

is there anyway i can run an O/S from the usb hard drive?

i want to make sure the rest of the laptop is working properly until i can find the connector.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[theheyes]

Is the CD drive working? I'd boot Linux from a disc personally.

 

[xpcpu]

yes everything else is working. i just can't install a hard drive inside the laptop.

 

[Monkeynut]

Ubuntu can be installed onto a USB Drive.

This may be useful to you:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick#Outline

And perhaps this:
http://www.linuxliveusb.com/en/home

You can then use Ubuntu to see if everything's working.

Good luck!

 

[d_brennen]

i just can't install a hard drive inside the laptop.

Why not? Linux would be much better than Windows from USB/live CD

 

[xpcpu]

ideally i would like to install windows and once i get the connector then just put the hard drive into the laptop

 

[d_brennen]

Windows doesn't like being on removable media

 

[djxput]

hmmm I cant remember the site I used but you need to take your win dvd and it will make it a bootable usb (have it on mine and Ive installed win7 4 times in the past 6ish months).

I dont like the looks of a dirty dvd rom on my baby

 

[d_brennen]

He wasn't asking how to do that

 

[xpcpu]

Why not?

does not have the hard drive connector

 

[richb93]

I'll try and dig the link up but you install the HDD inside the machine on SATA and do a registry modification, then power down and install the HDD in a caddy making it bootable. I did this for the Windows 8 preview and it works fine.

 

[xpcpu]

as said what you are saying ill not work for me as i cannot the hard drive internally.

 

[richb93]

That's the only way of doing it I believe