USB hard drive question

[perthguy]

I have a USB hard drive I want to plug in and store programs on such as diagnostic tools. How can I configure this to be able to install the programs on? The way it is the programs just install on the main system.

thanks

[GaryRouth]

Do you mean that you wish to be able to boot from the USB hard drive, and have the diagnostic tools available from it's menus?

Programs need an operating system to install into. Right now, they are placing their shortcuts and necessary system files on your main drive, while perhaps placing the main bulk of their program files onto the USB drive. Completely normal.

Depending on what OS your diagnostic tools need, you might be able to rig a bootable Free-DOS or a smallish distro of Linux onto the USB drive, in order to do a minimum boot that would work for many systems, and allow you to run your diagnostics.

. . . Gary

[P.S. ... just noticed that this is your first post here. Welcome to the PC Mechanic forums! ]

[perthguy]

thanks for the welcome.

I have XP Pro on my system. I have files I use at (college) for the virtual pc system. I wanted to store my diagnostic tools on that external as well, so I can use them, say, on another computer. So this drive is sharing the same OS as the puter it's plugged into. I was wondering how or if this can be done.

[perthguy]

i wasnt thinking about booting off this initially...just about storing these types of things for mobility. Would a technician use an ext drive to carry these tools about?

[GaryRouth]

I'm thinking Linux would be a good choice, but I'm not current as to whether there's a version that can do a bootable USB external. The reason Linux is attractive is that it can read so many different file systems - (which would fit the use you intend it for - for diagnostics). Much less limiting than DOS, too. If you're not locked into a particular set of tools, I imagine the open source community has churned out some decent diagnostics over the years.

There used to be a version of Linux that booted just from a floppy, and by golly somewhere I think I heard of a run-from-CD version - try a Google search perhaps, or query the fellows over in the alternate OS forums?

Single purpose diagnostics still arrive on floppies booting into DR-DOS and FREE-DOS: pretty portable, but not exactly speedy.
. . . Gary

[just saw your question: some techs even carry the little USB keychain flash memory with diagnostic tools on them. Of course, to use them, the computer you're working on has to still have enough functionality to run them. ( a "dead" computer is where a bootable disk comes in handy). Check in the help files (if any) for your current set of diagnostics, if they simply run without any installation routine, then you might be able to find them useful without worrying about making your USB external bootable.]