Do you mean I will have troubles INSTALLING windows on the HD mounted in the enclouser? (All this done on my desktop)
Or
Are you saying I will have troubles trying to "use" windows on the laptop, if the HD is still in the enclouser?



My plan was to just install windows on the hd while it was in the encouser, then remove it from the enclouser and put it back internally to the laptop.

rich46,

-I have no data to back up.
-I have a new/blank HD installed in the laptop.
-I cant seem to get a DVD to boot up in my curretn CD/DVD drive.
-I know it is capable to boot a DVD because if you put a LEGIT vista DVD in the drive, it boots up fine.
-I am currently trying to find alternitive/workaround ways to get windows installed on this new/blank HD.
-I would much rather not buy 100 defferent brands of DVD before I find one my drive will read+boot windows.

-So far I have tryed a few different ways to get this to work, none have panned out thus far.

-Software to allow me to boot from USB
---Plop Boot Manager
-Created a bootable USB
---WinToFlash
-Using 3 different programs to burn the .iso
---IMGBurn
---PowerISO
---Windows Built In Image Burner

-Using 3 different programs to create the .iso
---BootIsoMakerV4
---WBICreator
---Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool

You will have to do it this way:

1.attach the external usb drive

2. Make sure the drive is initialised to mbr and create at least one primary partition - big enough to hold windows - 50gb is plenty.

3. Mark the primary you just created on the external HD Active - this is vital.

We are going to apply the install.wim - you still have that I presume - .iso not used in this method.

Run as admin the run-me-as-admin.cmd in this:

WIN678-INSTALLER.zip

It will tell you what to do as you go along.

When it has done:

Do not try and boot it from the other machine. Shut down the other machine, remove the HD from the enclosure and put it in your lappie.

Should be fine - note your vista drive letter will be D not C - don't worry that is fine.

PS , what are planning to do about a product key if you can't read the one off the sticker?

Thanks for the steps SIW2, I Ordered the enclouser yesterday, so as soon as it gets here ill be giving this a shot. As far as the key goes, The last time I installed windows on this machine they product key wasnt ledgable then either, and I just never entered it in. The only drawback I found with that was a couldn't change my wallpaper(it was just black with a "this version of windows isnt genuine" in the corner.Ran it like that for almost 2 years). But I was still getting windows updates and everything seemed to function fine.

How many machines can you install one copy of vista too? I ask this casue I have my older desktop pc in storage, and It would have a ledgable product key on it.

If it is a retail product key - and you have the product key on a coa sticker- then you can move it to another machine. But only one machine at a time.


Is there any reason you can't connect your laptop to your working desktop via usb and install it that way?

Same method as installing to usb external hd - but you don't need the extra caddy.