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    qustion about exturnal hard drives

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by darth_laidher, Oct 22, 2006.

  1. darth_laidher

    darth_laidher Notebook Evangelist

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    i bought my first exturnal hd and i was wondering if you could install a game on it and play it on the pc,im thinking no because has to be in the registry and so on anyone know if i could?

    oh and what about the posability of installing windows on one?
     
    darth_laidher, Oct 22, 2006
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  2. darth_laidher

    darth_laidher Notebook Evangelist

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    scratch that windows qustion i had a brain fart, you couldnt because it would have to install drivers for all sorts of hardware and it inspects ur configuration and so once it didnt pick them up it would probably abort.
     
    darth_laidher, Oct 22, 2006
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  3. azntiger1000

    azntiger1000 Notebook Deity

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    I think games you could install it on the external. What is the speed of the external and do you have usb 2.0? Windows I think might be impossible because I don't think computers can boot from a USB, but I've heard ways some people could do it. You can probably try Virtual PC and install the virtual OS on the external.
     
    azntiger1000, Oct 22, 2006
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  4. darth_laidher

    darth_laidher Notebook Evangelist

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    its 7200 an 2.0
     
    darth_laidher, Oct 22, 2006
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  5. lowlymarine

    lowlymarine Notebook Deity

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    You can install games, office suites, whatever you want to an external hard drive. Windows will simply have all registry keys that need file paths point to your external hard drive. If (as 99.95% of all modern computers' do) your BIOS supports booting from USB devices, you can even install operating systems (Windows, Linux, Solaris, whatever) to an external hard drive. It's not all that much different form installing a second internal hard drive.
     
    lowlymarine, Oct 22, 2006
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  6. darth_laidher

    darth_laidher Notebook Evangelist

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    thanks for the info i'll have to take that into consideration if ever deside to install windows on it
     
    darth_laidher, Oct 22, 2006
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  7. Gator

    Gator Go Gators!

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    Wait! Before you do that, keep in mind that any game or applications running off the hard drive will be SLOoooOW. On average, HDD access via the limited bandwidth of USB 2.0/Firewire 400 would take about five or six times longer than from an internal ATA/SATA HDD. Although you could install an OS on the external HDD and even a virtual machine (!!!) on top of that OS install to run other apps, HDD intensive programs will run like they've been out partying all night and just got in 8:00 AM in the morning with a hangover and several newly acquired medical conditions...

    If you really want to install an OS and run apps off an external HDD, I suggest taking a look at eSATA ExpressCards for laptops and eSATA PCI cards for desktops.
     
    Gator, Oct 22, 2006
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