Installing windows 7 on an external HD

[tray262]

Hello I am new to the community and I need some assistance. I pretty new to the PC world and am constantly learning. Forgive me if this sounds a little confusing. I am using windows 7 on my local HD, I also installed Windows 7 on an external HD. When I install any applications on my external OS the local HD crashes. Can someone tell me why

 

[ronintexas]

Why did you install the Operating System on both drives? It only needs to be installed on one...

The best setup you can do is install Windows 7 only on the internal drive, then add the 2nd drive, format it (not via Windows 7 install), and then use it. If you want to install programs on it, you just change the C:\ to D:\ (assuming C:\ is your OS drive, and D:\ is your external drive).

 

[tray262]

Hello, Well we are using the local install as a production machine. The external is for testing software so that it doesn't effect the production machine.

 

[Jim_L9]

Virtual machines are perfect for testing like that.

 

[ronintexas]

If I were doing what you are doing - I would install a 2nd internal drive, and unplug the first drive for the test environment (the 2nd becomes primary when the first is unplugged).

Are you sure that you are booting from the external drive when you install software on the external drive?

 

[tray262]

Let me elaborate, after reading my post I should have been clearer, sorry. This is being used in a school environment, and the I.T instructors needed to be able to have their students experience working with different software. Obviously we couldn't allow them to do it on the production machines, so we ordered externals and installed an OS on it. They work fine until students install applications to them, the external will work but for some reason after the install the local drive wont boot. Even if we unplug the local drive at the time of the installation. We ordered 59 1TB drives so I would like to find a solution to avoid ordering additional equipment.

 

[tray262]

and we are connecting them through eSata ports, if that matters

 

[deanpack25]

At least some that can play only a few game

 

[ronintexas]

To make things easier, instead of ordering new drives, can you create an image of the drive, save it to the external drive, allow the students to install the software and "test"...then when the lab is over, restore the image? That would put the drive back to its original configuration, and eliminate the need for multiple drives.

If the drives are eSata, the boot order may be what is causing the drives not to boot. By disabling the internal drive and allowing installations on the external drive, then reversing the configuration, theoretically it will work.

 

[tray262]

We changed the boot order to boot from esata first in case they had the externals plugged in so that they didn't have to go into bios and reconfigure since they don't have privileges to bios.

If we had to reimage each station after class it would be too time consuming, we assumed the ext drive would solve the issue. And it did but when the students install software it corrupts the boot of the local drive some how. That is what I cant figure out. Even when the local drive is unplugged at the time of the installation. Even if the ext is not plugged back in, the local drive will not boot. Setting the boot order doesn't fix the issue, something is getting corrupted. It can find the drive but not the OS on it.

 

[ronintexas]

I have no clue how a hard drive can become corrupted when it is unplugged...and when rebooting, the external is not plugged in. Unless the boot order isn't right in the BIOS...that is the only thing I can think of...you can't write to a drive when it isn't plugged in.