Windows 7 on SD card [2010 13" MBP]

[OrangeSVTguy]

If I buy a 32-64gb SD card, can I install my Windows 7 image to it and boot from it? I'm not worried about it being suPer fast or anything. I've searched but found conflicting data. I used Winclone to image my bootcamp partition before I installed a second HDD so I can no longer create a new bootcamp partition.

Anyone know for sure this works if you tried it. Please no relaying information if you haven't tried this yourself. This probably why there is conflicting data.

 

[peapody]

I am not sure myself but that would be awesome. Orange, what did winclone do that makes your computer unbootcampable?

 

[mulo]

i doubt you can boot form it.
i know if you have a 17" you can boot off an ssd 34pin express card

 

[deeddawg]

I have no idea about Win7 on an SD card, but out of curiousity I did run across two neat articles.

MacLife: Build a Bootable Rescue SD Card For Your Mac

From Apple's About the SD card slot:

"Can I install Mac OS X on an SD storage device and use it as a startup volume?

Yes. Change the default partition table to GUID using Disk Utility, and format the card to use the Mac OS Extended file format to do so."

I think this establishes that the SD card is bootable on recent systems. The key question remains what will happen if you boot Win7 from it?

 

[Dalton63841]

Mac and linux can be booted from an SD card.

Windows theoretically can if you hack the installer. However it is VERY buggy and blue screens on boot more often than not.

What happens is when windows begins booting up it loads the drivers for everything. At the point it loads the usb drivers, it basically interrupts itself, since it is in fact booting from usb.

 

[millerb7]

I have no idea about Win7 on an SD card, but out of curiousity I did run across two neat articles.

MacLife: Build a Bootable Rescue SD Card For Your Mac

From Apple's About the SD card slot:


I think this establishes that the SD card is bootable on recent systems. The key question remains what will happen if you boot Win7 from it?

I've done this for OSX install disk, super easy.

Win7 I had issues with and gave up. Not saying it can't be done but wasn't as cut and dry as OSX.

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

I have my cloned image so I don't care if the installer won't work. I'd just like to know if I buy the SD card, if I can just restore the image to the SD card after I format it.

I will probably just break the concaceted so I can create a bootcamp. You can't create the BC partition since it's basically a RAID or JBOD.

 

[maflynn]

I believe you'll need to hack windows, I believe the design of windows prohibits the use of USB/SD cards as a viable boot device.

it can be done, but does require hacking

 

[andbiv]

i doubt you can boot form it.
i know if you have a 17" you can boot off an ssd 34pin express card

Can you tell me how you are booting win7 from the express card slot? I have not been able to find anybody that is able to do it.

Thanks,

 

[mulo]

Can you tell me how you are booting win7 from the express card slot? I have not been able to find anybody that is able to do it.

Thanks,

34-pin expresscard ssd like this