Boot from USB EXT HD cloned OS?

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Da Mail Man

Active Member
Greetings all,

I cloned my internal 3.5 hard drive Windows OS directly to a USB EXTERNAL hard drive sector by sector....

If I remove (unplug, etc) my internal hard drive, plug in my EXTERNAL USB hard drive and set bios to boot from USB, will the OS start?

Thanks in advance.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
I mean... one way to find out.

Try it.

Might, sector by sector copies usually just can swap HDD's and it doesn't know the difference. Can't speak to booting USB, especially if it's XP.
 

Da Mail Man

Active Member
Thanks for the reply.....

Yeah, it is Win XP Pro......I managed to find/save a recent "address book - contacts" but, also attempted to find where the contents on an "unemptied" recycle bin would be with no luck......
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
How is this any different from your previous thread?
 

Da Mail Man

Active Member
How is this any different from your previous thread?
******************************
IT is......
It is similar but, one says (in effect) to remove the hard drive and place another in its place where THIS post asks if I can boot from a USB EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE via usb port as opposed to the actual installation into the computer.

One will try to boot from the USB PORT where the other will boot internally from internal cabling......I am/was not sure if the USB PORT(S) could be utilized to be a "boot source" so-to-speak... What, I can't ask questions here?...There is a difference.
 

beers

Moderator
Staff member
What, I can't ask questions here?...There is a difference.
The title indicates it's exactly the same thing.

Obviously 'just doing it' would be your play. A 1:1 binary clone should behave the same, depends on the BIOS features of that ancient PC you're using.
 

Da Mail Man

Active Member
The title indicates it's exactly the same thing.
NO, it doesn't...In effect it asks of a USB port can be used as a "boot-able input" as opposed to just a "reader or viewer" (for lack of a better phrase).

Obviously 'just doing it' would be your play.
yeah, I am beginning to lean that way.

A 1:1 binary clone should behave the same, depends on the BIOS features of that ancient PC you're using.
Hummn, I see, now attack the equipment.....They are all Dell desktops and my fear is, that I fear data loss or curruption as opposed to if it will work or not.

Than you for the reply(ies).
 
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