Recommended Posts

I tried to Google this, but every guide told me how to INSTALL Windows 7 beta off a USB drive.

This is not what I am trying to do.

I already have it installed on a SATA laptop drive, and have a USB dock for SATA drives.

I want to know if there is any way to boot Windows 7 off of the drive once its connected by USB.

I am aware that this is possible with Windows XP and Windows Vista, but only after applying a 3rd party patch that changes the way the system handles USB connections on boot.

And yes, I am also aware this will make it run slower too off USB 2.0 instead of the internal SATA connection, thats fine.

So, has there been any method discovered yet to boot Windows 7 off a USB drive?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/723312-boot-windows-7-off-of-usb/
Share on other sites

Strangely i read the title, thought i'd help someone out by tracking down the thread i was reading earlier.

In my hurry to help out a fellow Neowiner i forgot to completly read the whole post, wont bother next time. Not worth the attitude you get off of some posters round here.

At this moment, it's just impossible.

The USB stack in Windows is written so that whenever you connect or disconnect a USB device, the whole USB stack reinitializes. This makes Windows lose the connection to the USB stick for a very short time, and in that time it cannot write to the swap file or do anything else. When that happens Windows just freezes and it stays frozen until you reboot. I'm afraid it just won't work. One possible solution would be an eSATA disk...

  • 6 months later...
  • 5 months later...

I tried to Google this, but every guide told me how to INSTALL Windows 7 beta off a USB drive.

This is not what I am trying to do.

I already have it installed on a SATA laptop drive, and have a USB dock for SATA drives.

I want to know if there is any way to boot Windows 7 off of the drive once its connected by USB.

I am aware that this is possible with Windows XP and Windows Vista, but only after applying a 3rd party patch that changes the way the system handles USB connections on boot.

And yes, I am also aware this will make it run slower too off USB 2.0 instead of the internal SATA connection, thats fine.

So, has there been any method discovered yet to boot Windows 7 off a USB drive?

What is the 3rd party patch for Windows XP and Vista for running off a USB drive?

Thanks,

Here you go :)

Install Windows 7 on a USB hard drive

I installed it on my 320GB WD hard drive and it's working fine on my desktop PC where I installed it from and on a netbook which has XP installed but unfortunately it's not working on a laptop I have which has Vista installed; it just BSODs while booting. I know why it's doing that, but don't know how to fix it yet. If you face the same problem, you can PM me and if I know a solution by then I will tell you. :)

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • "Samsung is shutting down yet another app used by millions" I will fix the clickbait title for you, free-of-charge: "Samsung shutting down it's Max VPN app"
    • Microsoft brings Planner Agent to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users by Ivan Jenic Image: Microsoft Microsoft has announced that Planner Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot is now generally available to all users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Planner Agent is the latest addition in the string of AI features that Microsoft is implementing across virtually all of its products. The agent lets you manage tasks through natural language prompts directly inside Microsoft 365 Copilot. You can create and update tasks, check priorities, and get insights about current entries without leaving the chat interface. The general availability release comes with a handful of new additions on top of what was available during the initial rollout. A new plan picker lets you search and filter your plans by name, then update task names, statuses, due dates, or priorities through the agent. There's also a goals bucket now, which lets you group tasks under specific goals. This builds on the Goals view, a feature that was introduced as part of the broader Planner refresh that rolled out earlier. Image: Microsoft | Planner Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot All AI-generated plans and tasks are created in draft mode by default, so you can review and approve changes before anything goes through. This is actually a thoughtful safety feature, because trusting AI to handle all your tasks without a human in the loop is usually a recipe for disaster. Having tasks initially saved as drafts is the best possible middle ground. Microsoft also says that not all tasks are executed equally. Simple tasks get processed quickly, while more complex ones, like building a plan from a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file, are handed to a more capable model. Microsoft says this approach delivers the best performance, but it could also help with usage management, as you won't have to waste tokens on performing simple tasks. Planner Agent is available now across Teams, Loop, SharePoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps for anyone on a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription.
    • To be clear I'm anti trump, the bigger point is why review this game at all?
    • Trillion dollar Microsoft has to reduce spending by hurting more people. Good job Microsoft. Good Job Asha.
    • That's a shame. The big Xbox reset when Phil and Sarah left and then Asha came on and brought a new team of executives, and all the layoffs last year and saying that the ABK merger wouldn't result in redundancies I am surprised they are calling for yet another reset and yet more layoffs.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      Cosminus earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Year In
      ThatGuyOnline earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Jeroen Wilms earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      500
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      194
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      125
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      87
    5. 5
      neufuse
      73
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!