There have been a number of articles about an O/S on removeble media but the
main handicap of flash is the limited number of writes it will support which
means the swap file will use that up very quickly. A hard disk is a hard disk
irrespective of connectivity but I am not convinced about the performance of
the USB interface being adequate. The BartPE is intended to run from a CD and
there is no reason to limit it to that medium.

Obviously there is a question over licensing in that the OEM license is tied
to the original machine.

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> dencandy wrote:
> > Here's a question I've been asked twice in the last few days & I
> > don't know the answer: Can Windows be installed on & run from an
> > external removeable medium such as an external hard disk or
> > flash/pen drive?
> > If no, why not?
> > If yes, what problems can be expected?
>
> The answers will vary because experiences vary.
> Assuming you mean "Windows XP" - then the official answer is no.
> The reality might differ depending on what you want to do.
> BartPE is a fine example of reality differing in some way. ;-)
>
> Search using Google!
> http://www.google.com/
> (How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )
>
> Since the opinions here might go both ways - I suggest you use Google to
> look for what you need. There are full-on examples on doing what you seem
> to be inferring you wish to do. YMMV.
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>