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Re: External hard drive
Hmmm. Interesting question, never tried it (yet). ;>)
Windows needs the "WINDOWS" directory for startup. You would need the system to "recognize" the external drive prior to the Windows GUI starting. (DOS level drivers if the system requires them. Your motherboard may "see" the external drive automatically, based upon "what is what" with your particular motherboard.) As long as any drivers (or anything required) etc for the external drive are loaded prior to Windows starting, there should be no problem with moving the folder(s) location. However, there is the factor of the the c:\msdos.sys file. (This is a bootup file which provides path information for Windows.) This may pose a problem. If the above parameters are met, this file can be edited to reflect the information you need.
As an experiment, you could copy the Windows and Program Files directories to the external drive, rename c:\windows to c:\windows.old and c:\Program Files to c:\Program files.old, ensure the external drive will function, and adjust the paths information in c:\msdos.sys and try a boot.
If the above doesn't work, you can always boot to RAW DOS and rename everything back to the original names and be up and running again.
If you need assistance for this please post advising of this before you do the experimentation. Details can be provided to walk you through it, which you can print out prior to changes so you can get back into operation. I've taken the day off so I'll be in and out of the forums throuout the day.
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