Install to external usb3 SSD

[darrellg1972]

Laptop with Win8.1 installed on internal 32GB eMMC drive. yuck. bought external usb3 ssd drive to install win7 (or maybe XP) on. How can I accomplish this?
Note: Laptop and external ssd sealed. No way to put it in the laptop, install, then take it back out.

 

[MilesAhead]

I don't know about the SSD part. But I've been told by some on other forums that they have successfully made an image on the internal Windows drive using Macrium Reflect, and restored it to an internal drive in a USB docking station. If this is so you may be able to restore to the external USB and boot from it by pressing the key during system start(F12 on my Laptop) to select the boot order. Select the USB.

I would not try it unless you do not need any of the data on the external. It will likely be wiped when the image is restored to it.

 

[SIW2]

It will be slow. Better to install to a usb hard drive. It is not too difficult.

 

[gregrocker]

Why not replace the HD in laptop with an SSD to get full speed? Any USB connected drive will be throttled by the USB controller defeating the speed gain with SSD.

 

[darrellg1972]

1. There is no hdd in the laptop. It's an onboard eMMC chip. Therefore, nothing is able to be added/replaced.
2. I realize that the USB port will be the bottleneck. Im choosing an SSD over a HDD for power requirements. It takes a lot more power to spin a drive than energize SSD chips.

 

[gregrocker]

Did you check to be certain there are no ports at all on mobo where you could install an SSD?

I fear the USB controller even 3.0 would defeat the SSD speed. But you can try. This has worked for some to Install Windows 7 On USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive.

You may need to set BIOS to CSM or Legacy BIOS, with Legacy Boot, since I've never heard of this succeeding with UEFI. Test that Win8 will still boot.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[MilesAhead]

Did you check to be certain there are no ports at all on mobo where you could install an SSD?

I fear the USB controller even 3.0 would defeat the SSD speed. But you can try. This has worked for some to Install Windows 7 On USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive.

You may need to set BIOS to CSM or Legacy BIOS, with Legacy Boot, since I've never heard of this succeeding with UEFI. Test that Win8 will still boot.

Let us know how it goes.

+1. So far with my Laptop experiments I have only been able to boot from USB without enabling CSM with a Macrium Reflect Rescue and a Rescue USB made from my W8 system. Any iso image burned to USB has not booted with the exception of Windows Server 2012 R2. Even W7 x64 image I had to set the boot type to CSM.

I have heard there are some setups that have a combined setting that can boot both CSM and UEFI. But not on my Toshiba.

 

[darrellg1972]

yes, there is absolutely no hardware upgrade path in this unit. it is all integrated.
while the usb may choke, its throughput is way higher than eMMC's. The drive i got tested at 250/250 vs 155/65 of the eMMC.

but ill definitely look at that link when i get home.