How to Install Vista on External Hardrive

Installing Windows Vista on an external hard drive can have a number of practical applications. Perhaps the most useful is that you can then use your hard drive as a complete backup of your operating system, settings and all, in the event that your main internal hard drive crashes. Whatever the reason, the process is incredibly simple and only involves making one basic change compared to installing Vista on an internal hard drive.

Things You'll Need

• External Hard Drive
• Windows Vista Installation Disc

Instructions

1. Put your Windows Vista installation disc in your computer's DVD-ROM drive. Make sure that the data side of the disc is facing downward and the drive's tray closes securely before proceeding.

2. Restart your computer by selecting the "Start" menu, clicking on "Shutdown" and then selecting the "Restart" option.

3. Wait patiently for your computer to restart itself. Once it does so the Windows Vista installation software will load automatically.

4. Specify your external hard drive as the source of the Windows Vista installation when asked. During the beginning stages of the Windows Vista installation process, when asked to specify settings, you will be asked which directory on your computer you want to install Vista to. Use the drop-down menu to view all available drives. Select the drive letter that represents your external hard drive.

5. Follow the rest of the directions laid out onscreen to finish the installation. After a certain point, the installation will commence using your specified settings. This process could take anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on the speed of both your DVD-ROM drive and your external hard drive. Once the installation process has completed and all the necessary files have been installed to your computer, your computer will restart itself and Windows Vista will be installed on your external hard drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Installing Windows Vista on an external hard drive will only work on computer's that are already running the Windows Vista operating system. Having any other operating system on your computer will cause your machine's registry to lack the appropriate information necessary to boot the OS from the hard drive. You will still be able to install the files to your hard drive, but after that it will be essentially worthless as your computer won't be able to recognize it anymore.

References

• How to Install Windows Vista