Simple questions about installing Windows 7 on an external HDD.

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PortaXerouli55

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Dec 24, 2013
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Since Windows 10 is blocking some of the activities i do and i don't intend on formatting my HDD at all, i am going to install Windows 7 on an external HDD.

1.Will any errors occur while booting through the external HDD that would not be generated if i was running on my internal HDD?
2.Supposing that they both are the same exact HDD, will anything be slower while booting on the external HDD?
3.If i unplug the external HDD while i am working on Windows 7, is the system going to corrupt, or at least some files get damaged or deleted? If not, am i gonna lose any files that were saved before the "accident"?

Also, consider that the OS on both HDDs is Windows 7.
 
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You can not run windows 7 from an external drive with an stability.

Create a disc image of your windows 10 build onto the external drive, and then you can restore the image of windows 10 if need-be

Even if windows 7 was stable from an external I still highly advise to never use an external drive for an operating system or even programs.
First of all they are slower drives that have average shorter life spans. Secondly of all an external drive is one easy drop off your desk or PC from death.
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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You can not run windows 7 from an external drive with an stability.

Create a disc image of your windows 10 build onto the external drive, and then you can restore the image of windows 10 if need-be

Even if windows 7 was stable from an external I still highly advise to never use an external drive for an operating system or even programs.
First of all they are slower drives that have average shorter life spans. Secondly of all an external drive is one easy drop off your desk or PC from death.
 
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PortaXerouli55

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Dec 24, 2013
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That is just.. disappointing. I felt like i was skydiving and suddenly i realize i don't have a parachute and fall to the ground. And to top it all, i even broke through it. Well, thanks for shattering my dreams :p

One more thing, would you recommend formatting a section/partition of a new HDD 450 GB just to install Windows 7 on it?

 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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You will need to put windows 7 on a different hard drive then the windows 10 drive, just using different partitions will not work.

Windows 10 (and 8) uses GPT partition tables that you will not be able to use to install windows 7 to as it only boots from an MBR volume.
 
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PortaXerouli55

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Dec 24, 2013
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This is really bad, since i am on a laptop and not on a desktop pc. From what you just said, i cannot install windows 7 on a HDD that already has Windows 10 on it. One last thing, does it matter if i have a really good HDD (good rpm, disk space and such) and i use it as an external HDD that has installed an OS? Or the fact that the HDD itself being used as an external HDD with the help of an enclosure won't be any stable? I hope you can try to understand even a bit of my concept, it's just hard to explain what i have in my mind.
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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Using an internal HDD as an external reduces the factor of the speeds being slower and the drive being of less quality.

It however does not change the fact that the OS will not be stable going through the USB interface instead of SATA direcetly off the motherboard. Plus the fact that the form factor of an external makes it very easy to get knocked off the desk (drop + powered on and spinning = almost certain death).


One option (assuming you have a spare 2.5" laptop size drive) is to remove your DVD drive and you can get a caddy that will hold your harddrive in there, then you could dual boot that way.

I have used this in a laptop before to have both an SSD drive and a HDD drive in it. http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-12-7mm-2-5-Inch-Conversion-TS09/dp/B00AFP89G2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442413193&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=silverstone+dvd+caddy

Now there is 12.7mm and 9.7mm height dvd drive bays so you will have to research to figure out what size your laptop needs (or remove your dvd drive and measure the thickness).
 
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