Solved Can I install Vista on portable hard drive?

[MyPCHatesMe]

Hey all

I have Vista installed on my laptops internal hard drive (which I think is failing) can I install and use Vista on a portable 1TB hard drive?

I've read that because it's not an external hard drive, it has no power source and works like a USB drive but I'm not sure how that would affect performance if I installed an OS on it?

I think it's a Seagate 1TB Backup Plus Slim Portable Drive.

Thanks

 

[virtual6]

In a word, the answer is no.
The ability to run a live Windows system on a USB device was a new feature in Windows 8 Enterprise called Windows To Go.
It is possible, with some effort, to create a Windows To Go workspace with any edition of Windows 8.
Other Windows versions (Vista, 7) are not portable because of how drivers are handled.
In the past, Windows had always considered USB devices as "input devices" and not suitable for use as a system drive.

I also own an older Mac (Intel) computer. Interestingly, I can run the Mac from a system loaded on an external drive, either USB or Firewire, no problems at all, in fact several systems on multiple partitions. Speed is a little pokey but acceptable.

Why not just get a new HDD?

 

[LMiller7]

Can I install Vista on portable hard drive?

Maybe.

Microsoft never supported installing Vista on an external drive. It may be possible but it won't be easy. This is more of a stunt than a practical option.

 

[ilikefree]

I agree, No not really a viable option
That is not the way to fix your problem.
Get a copy of Macrium Reflect and make an image of your system and store it on another drive, it can be your usb drive
Burn a Macrium boot disc.
Replace the failing drive
Boot the computer with the Macrium boot disc
Reload the image you made and you have your computer back as it was

 

[MyPCHatesMe]

Thanks for the replies

I guess I won't be doing that then haha, my Vista installation is old (it came with the laptop when I bought it new) and has never been reinstalled since then but I have a Vista ISO from another thread here so I might just attempt that before looking for a new internal hard drive.