Running Windows from USB Hard or Flash Drive

[Keoni2400]

I have Mobile Docks installed in the top, two bays of my tower computer that runs Windows XP.  The top drive is typically my master C: drive, and the second drive is typically my slave F: drive.  My setup allows my hard drives to be easily inserted and removed.  For backup, I use Acronis and my slave drive to make a clone of my C: drive.  Sometimes, I make my slave drive a master and use it to test new software or an idea. 

Now, I'm consering using a USB hard drive or maybe someday a large flash drive instead of the hard drive in my second bay to make clones.  My questions are these:

Will Windows run from a USB or flash drive with my drives in my Mobile Docks removed?

Assuming Windows will run from a USB hard or flash drive, will Windows run from my hard drive in the top bay when the USB hard or flash drive is removed?

Is it necessary or even possible to designate a USB hard or flash drive a master?

[patio]

It's a ton of work and next to very difficult to get any flavor of Windows since XP to run from a USB device...
This is by design...

[Computer_Commando]

Have you tried any of these methods?

[Keoni2400]

Thank you so much for your informative reply.  I really don't want to boot from a USB flash drive so badly I'd jump happily through all the hoops presented in the article you referenced.  My current method using Mobile Docks and hard drives will have to suffice for awhile.  My guess is someone will develop the software and whatever to make booting from a flash drive a snap one day, and I can wait.

Is booting from a USB hard drive just as complicated as booting from a flash drive?

[Computer_Commando]

The motherboard on one of my computers allows USB booting from FDD, CD, HDD.  HDD can be std HDD or any flash drive.  I've been booting DOS (Win98SE) from a media card drive with the problem being booting Win98.  I have not tried booting WinXP as I don't have a spare card that's large enough.

I installed a Ghost image to the flash drive and changed the boot order in the BIOS and it booted up, but...see this other thread:  http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,94731.0.html

It's an inexpensive motherboard but only about a year old, so the BIOS has these advanced features.

[patio]

If you experiment and do try it with XP you'll get to see how painfully slow it is...even on a newer machine.

[Computer_Commando]

I haven't tried it with XP, no real reason to when it's the boot drive.  I may try it with Ubuntu.  I have a couple 4GB SD memory chips, Class 4 & 6.

I do run Firefox Portable from an old 512MB CF and it is somewhat slower, but not all that bad.

[patio]

Ubuntu doesn't do quite as bad...but it's still slower than running a Live CD./...

[Computer_Commando]

Ubuntu doesn't do quite as bad...but it's still slower than running a Live CD./...

I suppose the Live CD should be on a CD-R for faster access speeds, and not a CD-R/W?
I've been having trouble with v9.10 installing on one computer, so used v9.04 and then upgraded online.  Ubuntu seems to have as many bugs as Windows.

[patio]

Do you have the latest ver. ? ?
The last 2 builds were flakey...

[Computer_Commando]

Do you have the latest ver. ? ?
The last 2 builds were flakey...

9.10 is the latest, 9.04 is the previous.