Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

  1. #1
    ZaO
    Guest

    Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

    I'm trying to help someone install Windows on an external drive to use with their Macbook with OS version 10.8.5. I thought this method would be better than running Windows inside of the Mac OS as performance should be better (providing they have a fast external drive connector - have yet to find that out). I would hate for them to mash their Mac OS install by trying this out. Does anyone know if the bootloader will recognise this install and work without problems? Or is there something that would need to be done for this to work? Maybe this is not the best way to do it? Hope you guys can help out here. Thanks!

    Edit: This is the model they have btw: http://support.apple.com/kb/sp658 It's got USB3 and Thunderbolt connections. Had a look at some speed tests and I think USB3 will be their best option as the performance doesn't vary much, plus it'll work out cheaper. But still unsure about the bootloader if anyone can help? Thanks.
    Last edited by ZaO; 14-11-2013 at 04:29 PM.

  2. #2
    ZaO
    Guest

    Re: Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

    anyone?

  3. #3
    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    /dev/urandom
    Posts
    17,074
    Thanks
    228
    Thanked
    1,027 times in 678 posts
    • directhex's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus ROG Strix B550-I Gaming
      • CPU:
      • Ryzen 5900x
      • Memory:
      • 64GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB
      • Storage:
      • 2TB Seagate Firecuda 520
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 Ultra
      • PSU:
      • EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G3
      • Case:
      • NZXT H210i
      • Operating System:
      • Ubuntu 20.04, Windows 10
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG 34GN850
      • Internet:
      • FIOS

    Re: Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

    rEFIt on a mac definitely does. Not sure about Bootcamp.

  4. #4
    mush-mushroom b0redom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Middlesex
    Posts
    3,494
    Thanks
    195
    Thanked
    383 times in 292 posts
    • b0redom's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Some iMac thingy
      • CPU:
      • 3.4Ghz Quad Core i7
      • Memory:
      • 24GB
      • Storage:
      • 3TB Fusion Drive
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nViidia GTX 680MX
      • PSU:
      • Some iMac thingy
      • Case:
      • Late 2012 pointlessly thin iMac enclosure
      • Operating System:
      • OSX 10.8 / Win 7 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 2713H
      • Internet:
      • Be+

    Re: Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

    It won't work. Windows doesn't like being installed on an external drive. I was looking at doing something similar myself. The best way to do what you want is to have a small windows partition, and mount your external drive under c:\games or similar.

  5. #5
    ZaO
    Guest

    Re: Does the Mac bootloader recognise Windows on an external drive?

    Thanks for the replies guys! So maybe this isn't the best route :/ I will look for alternatives

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •