installing windows xp on a usb hard drive to boot sony vaio from

Hi,

I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb Hard
drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on this
notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from that. i
will be highly thankful.

Cannot be done.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Shamsher" <> wrote in message
news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> Hi,
>
> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> Hard
> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> this
> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> that. i
> will be highly thankful.
>

No can do. XP would have to be installed on a separate volume of the
internal drive. This would require repartitioning and allocation of free
space for it with a third party drive tool.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Shamsher" <> wrote in message
news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> Hi,
>
> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> Hard
> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> this
> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> that. i
> will be highly thankful.
>

It would be direct contradiction of Microsoft's policy of one license per
computer, to allow you to install Windows to a USB hard drive and let you to
use it on "any" computer.

Your answer is a resounding NO!

--


Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User


"Shamsher" <> wrote in message
news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> Hi,
>
> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> Hard
> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> this
> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> that. i
> will be highly thankful.
>

You are posting while using Windows XP, talking about Windows XP on a Vista
newsgroup (no crime, except these groups ARE for Windows Vista) and trying
to pass yourself off as a Microsoft MVP.

I suggest you get your act together!

--


Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User


"Microsoft MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
> When you boot from the XP CD you should have the option to install on the
> external drive just like any other installation. I've accidentally left
> USB
> flash drives in my computer when installing XP and I have the option to
> install on those (lol) so I would imagine you should be able to do the
> same
> on an external drive.
> A bit of advice: you ought to remove the interal HD when installing XP on
> the external drive, or you (or XP) might get confused and install in the
> wrong place or delete something by accident.
>
>
> "Shamsher" <> wrote in message
> news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> Hard
>> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> this
>> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
>> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> that. i
>> will be highly thankful.
>>
>
>

"Shamsher" <> wrote
> Hi,
>
> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> Hard
> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> this
> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> that. i
> will be highly thankful.

XP is not designed to run from an external USB hard drive. Some folks have
purported to do it, Google for it, but I have not seen any competent
information to show it can be done.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

When you boot from the XP CD you should have the option to install on the
external drive just like any other installation. I've accidentally left USB
flash drives in my computer when installing XP and I have the option to
install on those (lol) so I would imagine you should be able to do the same
on an external drive.
A bit of advice: you ought to remove the interal HD when installing XP on
the external drive, or you (or XP) might get confused and install in the
wrong place or delete something by accident.


"Shamsher" <> wrote in message
news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> Hi,
>
> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
Hard
> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
this
> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
that. i
> will be highly thankful.
>

Sheesh, don't be such a hater Dick. True the question may have been in the
wrong newsgroup, but it DID involve Vista in a way.

"Richard Urban" <> wrote in message
news:#...
> You are posting while using Windows XP, talking about Windows XP on a
Vista
> newsgroup (no crime, except these groups ARE for Windows Vista) and trying
> to pass yourself off as a Microsoft MVP.
>
> I suggest you get your act together!
>
> --
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban MVP
> Microsoft Windows Shell/User
>
>
> "Microsoft MVP" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > When you boot from the XP CD you should have the option to install on
the
> > external drive just like any other installation. I've accidentally left
> > USB
> > flash drives in my computer when installing XP and I have the option to
> > install on those (lol) so I would imagine you should be able to do the
> > same
> > on an external drive.
> > A bit of advice: you ought to remove the interal HD when installing XP
on
> > the external drive, or you (or XP) might get confused and install in the
> > wrong place or delete something by accident.
> >
> >
> > "Shamsher" <> wrote in message
> > news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> > Hard
> >> drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> > this
> >> notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO
INSTALL
> >> WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> > that. i
> >> will be highly thankful.
> >>
> >
> >
>

Thanks everyone for reply though no solution yet. I just want to run few of
my softwares that are not compatible with vista and thought I will use
both..thats why I got vista notebook. But vista sucks sometime, it gives
problem on internet explorer which is associated with yahoo messanger. I am
not an expert so donot know what exactly is going on. So I bought Xp too.

Then I tried to make partition and install xp and vista seprately But the
notebook donot have vista CD but only recovery Cds. When I installed vista
from recovery CDs..it wiped out my windows xp and I ended up with Vista only.
Now can you guys tell me how to install both using recovery Cds to install
vista after I have installed Windows Xp.

I will be thankful.
Shamsher

"Richard G. Harper" wrote:

> Cannot be done.
>
> --
> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
> * NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
> * The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>
>
> "Shamsher" <> wrote in message
> news:B40DCEFF-3300-4278-A99C-...
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> > Hard
> > drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> > this
> > notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> > WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> > that. i
> > will be highly thankful.
> >
>
>
>

Thanks everyone for reply though no solution yet. I just want to run few of
my softwares that are not compatible with vista and thought I will use
both..thats why I got vista notebook. But vista sucks sometime, it gives
problem on internet explorer which is associated with yahoo messanger. I am
not an expert so donot know what exactly is going on. So I bought Xp too.

Then I tried to make partition and install xp and vista seprately But the
notebook donot have vista CD but only recovery Cds. When I installed vista
from recovery CDs..it wiped out my windows xp and I ended up with Vista only.
Now can you guys tell me how to install both using recovery Cds to install
vista after I have installed Windows Xp.

I will be thankful.
Shamsher


"Rock" wrote:

> "Shamsher" <> wrote
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have Sony Vaio VGN-N250 with windows vista preinstalled. I have a usb
> > Hard
> > drive on which i want to install windows xp and use it when required on
> > this
> > notebook. i donot know how to do it so can aNYONE GUIDE ME HOW TO INSTALL
> > WQINDOWS XP ON THE EXTERNAL USB HARD DRIVE AND BOOT my notebook from
> > that. i
> > will be highly thankful.
>
> XP is not designed to run from an external USB hard drive. Some folks have
> purported to do it, Google for it, but I have not seen any competent
> information to show it can be done.
>
> --
> Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]
>
>