How to boot from external USB hard drive easiest way?

postcd

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Hello,

i know how to boot from USB flash drives (how to enable it in BIOS), but i was not able to boot from my external HDD.

The computer on which im trying to boot has UEFI BIOS UTILITY version 2.10.1208 from 2012

I was able to get into boot menu where i seen all internal HDDs, CDROM but not external drive. Even drive is spinning up (to get recognized) before entering BIOS.

Can be problem that i connecting it via front panel of the PC? USB flash drives always worked there..

I was thinking if there is not any program i can load onto bootamble flash and it will then allow loading OS from my ext. drive), but cant google anything

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About external USB drive
The ext. drrive im trying to boot is 3.5. Maxtor basics 1TB budget external drive i created new partition on it, marked Active and Primary and installed Vista 32bit on it. It was bootamble when used as internal drive, but when im trying to boot it as external drive on this PC, it fails (is nto recognized in boot menu even its spinning up to be recognized)

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My aim
My aim is to have Windows OS on an external (portable) drive (i have DVD,flash,HDD). Drive must be capable of saving data (around 20GB of data including OS). I will be using it the way that there will be minimum writing cycles and i do not care much about slow boot time.

Thank you
 
Thx, indeed that worked.

I made my BIOS (UEFI BIOS UTILITY version 2.10.1208) to detect USB external drive (and USB flash drive too) by doing following steps:

o Del (to enter BIOS)
|_o Advanced mode
|..|_o Advanced
|.....|_o USB configuration
|........|_o Legacy USB support - Enabled
|_o Boot
...|_o CSM (Compatibility support mode)
......|_o Boot device control - UEFI and Legacy OpROM

These two settings was all that was needed to recognize both USB flash and USB external HDD and alloow booting it. Just from BIOS without any EasyBCD or such.

But note that WIndows installed on different PC wont most probably boot on another PC. That is what i just aknowledged. Maybe there are hacks, but it would involve intensive googling.
 
It could be anything as follow:

Connecting HD before turning on PC can confuse device.
And also BIOS VARIES BETWEEN COMPUTERS.
There could be a possibility that HD contains files in root directory that confuses the PC. Select hidden file from control panel and click on the button which shows hidden file.
 
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