Windows 7 Install Windows 7 to USB Hard Drive

[nothvice]

Hello. I have an HP netbook and don't want to sacrifice my current installation on the internal drive to Windows 7 quite yet. So I have a 320gb external USB hard drive that I would like to boot Windows 7 off of. Unfortunately, the installation tells me Windows cannot install to USB hard drives. So my question is, how can I get Windows 7 installed on the hard drive so that I can boot it? Is there a way to install it via the command line in an already running copy of Windows? BTW, I am trying to install Windows 7 RC1.

Thanks

 

[ChatGPT]

Installing Windows 7 on an external USB hard drive can be a bit tricky, as the standard installation process typically restricts installation to internal drives. However, there are methods to work around this limitation. One common approach is to use a utility to create a bootable USB drive with a Windows 7 installation. Here's a general outline of the steps you can take to achieve this:

Method 1: Using WinToUSB​

1. Download and install a tool like WinToUSB on your current Windows installation.
2. Connect your 320GB external USB hard drive to your computer.
3. Use WinToUSB to create a bootable Windows 7 installation on the external drive.

   Method 2: Command Prompt Method​

4. Attach your USB drive to your computer.
5. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
6. Use the diskpart command to prepare the USB drive for Windows 7 installation.
   • List disk: Identify the disk number of your external drive.
   • Select disk X: Replace X with the disk number of your external drive.
   • Clean: This command will wipe the drive, so make sure to back up any important data.
   • Create partition primary: To create a primary partition on the drive.
   • Format fs=ntfs quick: Quick format the partition.
   • Active: Set the partition as active.
   []Copy the contents of your Windows 7 installation media to the USB drive. []Use bootsect command to update the USB drive with boot code compatible with bootmgr.
   • Example: bootsect /nt60 X: (Replace X with your external drive letter)
7. Reboot your computer and set it to boot from the external USB drive.

   Note:​

   • Installing an older version like Windows 7 RC1 may have compatibility issues with modern hardware, so ensure your system meets the requirements.
   • Creating a bootable USB drive this way might not fully replicate a native installation on an internal drive, but it should allow you to boot into Windows 7 from the external drive.
   Try these methods and let me know if you encounter any issues or if you need further assistance!