USB boot (XP) HDD questions

[Technex]

Hey guys,

This might be incredibly stupid but is it possible to load a OS, say for example Windows XP onto a USB drive and then boot from it without any HDDs?

If so - Is it possible to boot from the USB drive using a PC with HDDs but somehow stopping the HDDs from being accessed from the USB drive?

I want to create a USB drive which can test new software etc without risking any of my personal data or HDD.

Thank you! :worship:

 

[Rastalovich]

Simple answer for the 1st bit - yes. Either USB harddrive, or USB pen that's made to look like a harddrive will work (what I mean by that u will find out when u go to make a usb pen bootable).

As for the existing drives, I would think u'd have to hide them.

How is a good question.

 

[Technex]

Yeah the 2nd bit is the hard bit . Thanks for your reply though.

I've booted from a USB stick before but it was so long ago back in college I can't remember LOL!

 

[k4p84]

There are plenty of tutorials on making a USB drive bootable.

Go into bios, enable boot from other media or USB, setting depending.

Go to your boot sequence and simply remove all the HDD that are listed. so you r boot sequence should be CD > USB. You should be able to simply change it to CD > USB > HDD1 etc though.

ED

 

[deathwish]

there must be away of preventing xp giving drive letters to the drives whitch would make them inacessable

 

[Technex]

Yeah I think disabling the HDD's in the BIOS would be the easiest way. Although it sure sure would be nice to just disable them inside Windows when running off the USB drive.

Deathwish, it would be great if I knew how to do so .

 

[Pyr0]

in windows disk manager, just remove the letters assigned to the other drives?

 

[k4p84]

in windows disk manager, just remove the letters assigned to the other drives?

I use disk manager to change the drive letters of name an external.

I have never removed a drive letter and left it like that...............hmm .........I'll have that Friday feeling at work tomorrow...... I may see what Windows thinks of this

ED