Well I am using a Seagate USB external hard drive and I am on a Dell
Dimension 4600 with Windows XP SP2, I did set it to boot from the external
hard drive and then went to install it, but it loaded the boot loader on to
the Dell and now without the ext hd attached to the computer and on the
computer will not start up. 

I want to be able to load Linux on the hd and use it with different
computers (i.e. my laptop and other computers) I am just doing this so that
I can learn to use it and get the feel for the Linux environment. 

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Mikkel L. Ellertson
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 3:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [newbie] Installing on an external hard drive

Connor wrote:
> Does anyone know how to install Mandriva to an external hard drive and
have
> the boot loader on that external hard drive and not on the computer that I
> used to install it on to the external hard drive.
> 
This depends on your system. The BIOS must load the boot loader from the
externel hard drive in order for this to work. You may be able to do it if:

Your externel hard drive is a USB drive, and your BIOS can be set to
boot from a USB device.

Your externel hard drive is a SCSI drive, and your BIOS can be set to
boot from a SCSI drive.

Your externel hard drive is one of the drives set in the BIOS, and your
BIOS offers the option to boot from that drive.

Another option would be to set up something like loadlin or syslinux on
the externel hard drive, and run a program that runs it. Exactly how you
would do that depends on the OS the machine boots to normaly. One
problem that you run into with standard boot loaders and externel hard
drives is that both LILO and GRUB use the BIOS to load themselves, so
the drive they are on has to be accessable by the BIOS. If your externel
drive is not accessable by the BIOS, then you need to install the boot
loader on something that is readable by the BIOS. One way to do that is
to have a boot floppy or CD that will then load the OS.

Mikkel
PS - if you want more specific answers, then you will need to be more
specific about the hardware, and what you are trying to do...
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!




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