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Install & Run Windows 7 on USB Flash Drive ?

Last response: in Windows 7
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Hello,

I've spent hours searching google about this and did not learn anything definitive.

Does anyone know if it is at all possible to install and run Windows 7 on a USB flash drive as a 'live' and 'portable' operating system?

I do not mean create a USB Windows 7 installer.

I do not mean create a recovery tool like BartPE.

I mean install Windows 7 on a flash drive as if it is a hard drive, install drivers, any software, use the net, save files, etc etc. like a normal Windows 7 environment that can be booted into.

Also, compared to running Windows on VirtualBox, how does running it on a USB flash drive compare in terms of performance.

Thanks in advance! :) 

More about : install run windows usb flash drive

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I don't think so since each OS install is tied down to a certain degree to the hardware from drivers to registerys to what nots...

But you can make a USB boot disc for your specific computer... it just won't work on other computers lol.

The only problem with this approach is it doesn't support booting on different computers well.
Windows 8 To Go (Enterprise version only though) is a lot better in this respect. It installs drivers on the first boot to a new machine, and then uses the setup on subsequent boots. I tried it to switch between a Radeon and an Nvidia machines, works like a charm. Also win8 doesn't need a frankenbuild, install to an external disk is supported out of the box.
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