I've found conflicting info, some say it works, others say it doesn't. Have we found the procedure to booting to XP off an external FW hard drive yet?
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Have we figured out Bootcamp +External FW drive yet?
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balamw
Moderator emeritus
A process is well documented for the MacBook where you need to remove the internal drive.
EDIT: I missed the FW bit. I don't think anyone is actively working on a FW mod to the XP install CD.
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balamw
Moderator emeritus
There was a recent post about an alternate method which requires performing most of the install on a PC first then moving the drive to an external enclosure. Let me see if I can find it.
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balamw
Moderator emeritus
balamw
Moderator emeritus
Won't work. Even with USB, the problem is that Windows turns off and reloads the USB and FW drivers partway through boot. The USB patch makes sure they stay loaded.
Parallels is the way to go if you must keep Windows on an external.
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twoodcc
macrumors P6
oh, but i thought on PC's with certain BIOS, that you could boot on USB?
but even if you could, i guess it wouldn't apply anyways.
balamw
Moderator emeritus
The USB boot present in certain BIOSes makes the drives temporarily look like internals, it's also related to why you need to remove the internal drive from the MacBooks when trying to perform the documented USB install... If you can make the USB drive the only drive, Windows has no choice but to keep it mounted.
Bottom line is that Windows XP is not designed to boot from any external drive, unless you go through semi-heroic means. (The ngine patch or turning your XP into a PE a la BartsPE).
EDIT: Let me rephrase that a bit. Windows XP is designed to not be easily bootable on any external drive. (I think this move is a deliberate one by Microsoft since it would allow for "portable" XP installs which go counter to their business model.).
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