Why can’t I boot a laptop from a USB disk?

Lil306

I'm not too fond of Windows 7 as yet, I've got it but I hate everything. I'll probably end up resetting it so it looks like XP interface, I don't like all the visual add-ons Microsoft provides. I just like speedy views not pretty graphics.

Avoriaz

Lil306 wrote: »

I'm not too fond of Windows 7 as yet, I've got it but I hate everything. I'll probably end up resetting it so it looks like XP interface, I don't like all the visual add-ons Microsoft provides. I just like speedy views not pretty graphics.

I didn't like it at first but I quickly got used to it.

It felt much the same going from 3.1 to 95 to 98 to XP.

At first it all feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable but you soon get used to it.

DVardysShadow

Avoriaz wrote: »

I have a new Acer 8935g laptop with Windows 7.

I have the disk from my retired Dell XP laptop in a USB caddy.

I’ve tried booting the Acer from the XP disk via USB. It has the capability to boot from a USB drive.

I’ve done all the obvious.

F2 to change boot order so that USB HDD is first: It just boots from the internal 7 disk.

F12 to select boot: The USB drive doesn’t show as an option.

When I power on, the light on the USB caddy comes on immediately so I know it is being powered from the motherboard.

Why isn't the USB drive being seen?

Any suggestions?

Thanks

My thought on this is that to be bootable, a USB drive or memory stick has to have the appropriate boot up files on it - for example, a bootable CD has files to the ElTorito spec - it would not boot with a hard drive MBR.

I would try getting around this by booting normally and finding out how the USB drive is attached and then go to boot.ini on the existing drive to add an entry for the USB drive. But I would not hold out much hope.