Booting Windows from different partition than system
- by szamil
I have bought an SSD disk, but my laptop (Dell Precision M6300) refuse to use it as a target disk for windows (AHCPI on/off, BIOS up-to-date). I can't exchange the disk unfortunately... But fortunately, I've managed to install windows using USB disk case. The problem is, that when I put that disk as my internal drive it can't boot. (Disk read error, Three Finger Salute ... )
So I tried with Linux (openSUSE), I manage to install it as well, but when I tried to boot GRUB from internal drive I get errors again. (Should I try GRUB2?)
I figured out that I can boot into that internal hard drive's openSUSE system using small USB drive with GRUB, kernel and image on it. So, I just run GRUB from USB drive, it loads necessary stuff from the USB drive and then continues from the internal drive.
I want to do the same with Windows. But GRUB (rootnoverify and chainloader +1) does not boot my windows on internal drive.
The question: is there any chance to copy the critical windows' boot files into the USB drive, to make it possible to boot from that USB drive, but continue booting from internal (different in general) drive? The USB drive would became a system hardware key! ;-)
Disk: Plextor M5S 128GB Sata III, laptop has Sata II, but it's compatible anyway, right?