Installation on USB Drive

So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to an
external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
allow this with final release?

Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for this
so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several hours
trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain careless
of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!

Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?

"Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to
> an
> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
> allow this with final release?
>
> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
> this
> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
> hours
> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
> careless
> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!

Geez... And I get flamed!

--
Mark

Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
"Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
news:...
> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>
> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to
>> an
>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
>> allow this with final release?
>>
>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
>> this
>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>> hours
>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>> careless
>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>
>

I have to agree. Colin, what's your point. It's a legitimate feature
request.

Tom
"Mark D. VandenBerg" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Geez... And I get flamed!
>
> --
> Mark
>
> Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
> "Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>>
>> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
>> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to
>>> an
>>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
>>> allow this with final release?
>>>
>>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
>>> this
>>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>>> hours
>>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>>> careless
>>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>>
>>
>

Having something be a Feature Request is one thing, to say that the
Installer designers should have a specific warning about something that is
not available with any current available OS is another..


"Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I have to agree. Colin, what's your point. It's a legitimate feature
>request.
>
> Tom
> "Mark D. VandenBerg" <> wrote in message
> news:%...
>> Geez... And I get flamed!
>>
>> --
>> Mark
>>
>> Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
>> "Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>>>
>>> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
>>> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>>>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista
>>>> to an
>>>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans
>>>> to
>>>> allow this with final release?
>>>>
>>>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
>>>> this
>>>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>>>> hours
>>>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>>>> careless
>>>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>

I disagree there too. It's absolutely silly to allow the install to
progress on a drive that then won't boot. Think about it.

The installer shouldn't even offer that drive as a choice. It's bad code,
pure and simple.

Tom
"Zapper" <> wrote in message
news:99EC8459-B329-434F-93E4-...
> Having something be a Feature Request is one thing, to say that the
> Installer designers should have a specific warning about something that is
> not available with any current available OS is another..
>
>
> "Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>>I have to agree. Colin, what's your point. It's a legitimate feature
>>request.
>>
>> Tom
>> "Mark D. VandenBerg" <> wrote in message
>> news:%...
>>> Geez... And I get flamed!
>>>
>>> --
>>> Mark
>>>
>>> Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
>>> "Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
>>> news:...
>>>> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>>>>
>>>> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
>>>> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>>>>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista
>>>>> to an
>>>>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans
>>>>> to
>>>>> allow this with final release?
>>>>>
>>>>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check
>>>>> for this
>>>>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>>>>> hours
>>>>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>>>>> careless
>>>>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>

On 7/6/06 7:56 AM, in article , "Colin
Barnhorst" <> wrote:

> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>
> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to
>> an
>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
>> allow this with final release?
>>
>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
>> this
>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>> hours
>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>> careless
>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>
>

Does it really matter, Colin?

Why can't Microsoft be the FIRST to allow booting from an external device?
What happened to the spirit of innovation which used to be a Microsoft
watchpoint?

Why must Microsoft always be copying others (as they've done with Vista vis
a vis OS X)?

Come on, Microsoft, let us boot from our external USB and Firewire devices
under Vista!!!. Many motherboards now allow for external devices to be boot
devices. Why can't Microsoft spend a little time and money (they have so
much of it, after all) and develop something NEW for a change?

Man, we're so damned TIRED of Windows 3.1. Get with it, Microsoft.

And while you're at it, PUT EFI partitions in, so we can get rid of OS X on
our Intel iMacs and MacBooks, and have the best OS (Vista) on the best
machines (Intel Macs)!!! As it is, we have to waste beaucoup disk space
keeping an OS X partition in place, and delete the Mac EFI partition just to
INSTALL Vista in the first place.

Come on, Microsoft, GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!!


Donald L McDaniel
Please reply to the original thread, so that it may not become broken.
================================================== ======================

Doesn't progress very far, first reboot and it stops.
I couldn't get a Hitachi SATA II to boot either. Good data drive.

"Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I disagree there too. It's absolutely silly to allow the install to
>progress on a drive that then won't boot. Think about it.
>
> The installer shouldn't even offer that drive as a choice. It's bad code,
> pure and simple.
>
> Tom
> "Zapper" <> wrote in message
> news:99EC8459-B329-434F-93E4-...
>> Having something be a Feature Request is one thing, to say that the
>> Installer designers should have a specific warning about something that
>> is not available with any current available OS is another..
>>
>>
>> "Tom Scales" <> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>>I have to agree. Colin, what's your point. It's a legitimate feature
>>>request.
>>>
>>> Tom
>>> "Mark D. VandenBerg" <> wrote in message
>>> news:%...
>>>> Geez... And I get flamed!
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Mark
>>>>
>>>> Keeping the fun in dysfunctional!
>>>> "Colin Barnhorst" <colinbarharst(remove)@msn.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:...
>>>>> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>>>>>
>>>>> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
>>>>> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>>>>>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista
>>>>>> to an
>>>>>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> allow this with final release?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check
>>>>>> for this
>>>>>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>>>>>> hours
>>>>>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>>>>>> careless
>>>>>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>

Certainly it would be nice to allow for boot off of a USB. Those of us with
laptops that want/need multiple OSes for client work don't have a lot of
options now, especially since VPC with Vista is not that useful just yet.

Additionally, the fact that something works a certain way in XP is a moot
argument since USB Drives were not as ubiquitous when XP came out. They are
now, and judging by the number of posts here of folks who have tried to
install onto a USB drive, it makes sense to do something about the issue.

So either support the feature or have a check in the Setup to prevent
installation onto the USB drive. I know there are risks of allowing boot from
a removable drive so I do understand the predicament of supporting this
scenario. Listen, I am making a stink about this Setup issue mainly because
until my recent retirement I worked over 13 years FTE on a team in the MS
developer division (last 5 being GPM in charge of the team) so I know plenty
about setup and Box PM work (you can probably guess which team from the
title). I also know a lot about customer/community satisfaction.


"Captain Fox" wrote:

> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to an
> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
> allow this with final release?
>
> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for this
> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several hours
> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain careless
> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!

I just wondered if you had experience booting from a usb drive or just
assumed you could. I do boot Vista off of an external enclosure, but it is
a SATA enclosure with a direct connection to the mobo via a passthrough
anchored in an expansion opening in the back of the PC. I asked because
your BIOS might support bootable usb devices and I wanted to know what you
had done previously. It was a legitimate question. I wanted to know.

"Donald McDaniel" <> wrote in message
news:C0D2B784.703%...
> On 7/6/06 7:56 AM, in article ,
> "Colin
> Barnhorst" <> wrote:
>
>> Which other operating systems are you booting off of a usb drive now?
>>
>> "Captain Fox" <> wrote in message
>> news:5322294E-BB21-4CA6-ACB9-...
>>> So I found a number of messages stating you cannot install/boot Vista to
>>> an
>>> external USB hard drive. Is this only for the Beta or are there plans to
>>> allow this with final release?
>>>
>>> Either way, it would have been nice if the Setup team added a check for
>>> this
>>> so those of us unaware of this limiation wouldn't have wasted several
>>> hours
>>> trying to install this thing onto our USB drive. This is just plain
>>> careless
>>> of the Setup team for something as far along as Beta 2!
>>
>>
>
> Does it really matter, Colin?
>
> Why can't Microsoft be the FIRST to allow booting from an external device?
> What happened to the spirit of innovation which used to be a Microsoft
> watchpoint?
>
> Why must Microsoft always be copying others (as they've done with Vista
> vis
> a vis OS X)?
>
> Come on, Microsoft, let us boot from our external USB and Firewire devices
> under Vista!!!. Many motherboards now allow for external devices to be
> boot
> devices. Why can't Microsoft spend a little time and money (they have so
> much of it, after all) and develop something NEW for a change?
>
> Man, we're so damned TIRED of Windows 3.1. Get with it, Microsoft.
>
> And while you're at it, PUT EFI partitions in, so we can get rid of OS X
> on
> our Intel iMacs and MacBooks, and have the best OS (Vista) on the best
> machines (Intel Macs)!!! As it is, we have to waste beaucoup disk space
> keeping an OS X partition in place, and delete the Mac EFI partition just
> to
> INSTALL Vista in the first place.
>
> Come on, Microsoft, GET WITH THE PROGRAM!!!
>
>
> Donald L McDaniel
> Please reply to the original thread, so that it may not become broken.
> ================================================== ======================
>
>
>
>
>