USB Boot WINserver2008R2

[malkvik]

Booting Windows server 2008 R2 from a 2.5" sata hard drive in an external USB enclosure. I select the USB boot option from my boot menu and it starts to load windows then promptly goes into Windows Recovery. I tried this several times and keeps going to recovery. If I stick the drive into a hard drive dock I can boot from the HDD.
My computer is a HP ProBook 4420s with 8gb of ram. The hard drive is currently partitioned with 270 GB on the local drive and 199 GB second partition 99.9 MB on the system reserved partition.

Side note: I'm trying to boot from USB at home since I use the drive for a class assignment where we are learning to install and administrate a Windows Server. We load the OS from the HDD using a docking station. I would like to use the USB External if possible without wiping the data off it. I can create a back up image if needed while at school if formatting and partitioning the drive is a required step but need to still have it load using the docking station for the teacher when he grades the drives.

 

[USAFRet]

Windows does not like being installed on, or booting from, an external drive. Period.

 

[Alabalcho]

Install your WIndows Server within a virtual machine (VmWare' VM Player, Microsoft' Virtual PC, Oracle' VirtualBox). You can move it wherever you want.

 

[malkvik]

Install your WIndows Server within a virtual machine (VmWare' VM Player, Microsoft' Virtual PC, Oracle' VirtualBox). You can move it wherever you want.

He wants us to use the hard drives and host the virtual machines on the hard drives... I don't understand the thinking but that's what they want. So I'm looking for a solution that will allow me to boot from USB.

 

[USAFRet]

Install your WIndows Server within a virtual machine (VmWare' VM Player, Microsoft' Virtual PC, Oracle' VirtualBox). You can move it wherever you want.

He wants us to use the hard drives and host the virtual machines on the hard drives... I don't understand the thinking but that's what they want. So I'm looking for a solution that will allow me to boot from USB.

That may be what they 'want', but it does not work like that. Booting Windows A) does not work, and B) if it did, it would be a very, very bad idea. Very prone to failure.
Boot from the HD, run whatever VM's are needed.

This is quite common in requirements specification. Customer wants "X", and it has to be done in "Y" fashion. You, the analyst, determine that it cannot be done in "Y" fashion, but "Z" will work. Customer still wants the "Y" solution.
What you need to do is present them with an actually working "Z" solution. Maybe they'll come around when they see it working.

I have a Ferrari. I want it to get 50MPG, and carry 12 people. That's what I want.
But it won't work like that.