torvalds
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Linux on external hdd?
Im curious as to whether or not it would be possible to run Linux from an external hard drive? The drive in question only gets turned on every once in a while as I use it for backup. I guess it applies to any os and not just Linux. So can I do this?
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Another issue is whether you will be using the external hdd to boot a specific machine or a range of different ones. If the latter, you will need a distro that is good at boot time hardware detection, personally I would use grml for something like that (grml is a Debian/Knoppix derivative live cd with excellent hardware detection and a hard disk installer that allows you to keep the hardware detection, see http://www.grml.org ).
Failing USB boot as an option, you can likely build a boot floppy to do the job - it needs to hold enough kernel / initrd to access the USB drive
For linux it is no problem, like the others have said. If you were going to try it with a windows version from nt upwards (NT, wind2k, XP etc), no chance. So it won't work with all OS's...
ASKER
Uhmmm I cant find this info anywhere. Does this option appear in all modern bios'es? I looked on asus's website and cant find the info for my board, maybe its a bit of an oddity? Asus A8N-E.
Somewhere in the BIOS there should be a "Boot Order" menu, which typically includes floppy, HD & CD (also NET if you have PXE). If this menu includes USB, you're home.
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..uhm, and may I ask why booting from USB HD would be problem for WinXP?
We're just going to try this next week, so I'd appreciate any pointers. :)
We're just going to try this next week, so I'd appreciate any pointers. :)
ASKER
OK. Before I make the plunge and install linux again I want to ask one more question. I had linux installed before and both times when I rebooted and tried to get into windows I got an error telling me that a file was missing (cant remember the name) so then I had to reinstall windows just to get past the problem and was still left with no linux. TWICE.
So this is my last ditch attempt at linux so im wondering if it will interfere with windows at all now that its on an external drive. (the last time I put linux onto another hard drive and it still killed my windows, or windows killed itself).
So this is my last ditch attempt at linux so im wondering if it will interfere with windows at all now that its on an external drive. (the last time I put linux onto another hard drive and it still killed my windows, or windows killed itself).
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