Can you install Windows 8 in a External DVD Drive?

Solution
By that, I assume you mean install Windows 8 from an external USB DVD-drive. I think it would work, but you'll have to try it to find out.

If it doesn't work, you may need to change a BIOS setting. My BIOS has an option for enabled USB ports at boot. You may have something similar. If you do, set it to "full" or something like that. If you don't have that option, unplug your mouse and plug the DVD-drive into the port (assuming it is a USB DVD-drive).

Hope this helps!

wolverine96

Reputable
Mar 26, 2014
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By that, I assume you mean install Windows 8 from an external USB DVD-drive. I think it would work, but you'll have to try it to find out.

If it doesn't work, you may need to change a BIOS setting. My BIOS has an option for enabled USB ports at boot. You may have something similar. If you do, set it to "full" or something like that. If you don't have that option, unplug your mouse and plug the DVD-drive into the port (assuming it is a USB DVD-drive).

Hope this helps!
 
Solution

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Install and run Windows from an external drive?

Not normally, but yes, kind of.
1. Windows 8 Enterprise (which you don't have) has Win2Go
2. There are various methods to make regular Windows run from an external drive. google around, but it is a PITA.
3. It will be dirt slow if you eventually get it running.

Why do you want to do this?
 
oh, ok you want to install from an external optical drive. yes you can, but it might take all day lol you just have to go into bios, enable the plug-and-play boot from usb, make sure the usb ports are enabled, and connect the external drive to the fastes usb you have, either 2.0 or 3.0. and he might want to do this if his build doesnt have an optical drive, would be my guess.