ext hdd's

hey all, if I have a ext drive which will not always be pluged in to the mbp can I have apple programs installed on it still, like if I want to keep internal space to a min for osx cause of games and xp ( since they will require the best speed ), but will have an ext 60 gb and 160 gb, the 160 I want to use for mac programs and media storage, the 60 I will be useing for media for xp and mac so it will be fat32.

so when I plug in the 160 hdd and have osx up I want to be able to use installed programs that are on the ext vs the internal. ( I am willing to add more space to the osx side of things if this will not work, I just think that it will fit my needs the best.

Thanks
Bob

 

baisically are you just asking if you can run programs off of an external HDD?

i was wondering this myself

 

dang you for taking my long and convoluted question and summing it up in 15 words

hehe

 

Yes, you can run programs off ext hdd in any OS.

I actually play games off an external hdd in windows (well, i did with a few).

Should be fine. BTW, I'd recommend using FW for your interface as opposed to USB2.

 

^^ yea use firwire 800. leo laporte actually just said sumthin about that sunday- he told some guy to run the entire OS off of a firewire drive b/c its faster.

 

well, will firewire power the drive like usb can ? I have only used firewire a little with an old burner on a couple of full size(3.5) ext drives

 

Full sized FW can power an external HDD. I can power my 7200 rm drive using my fw400 connection.

Note, not all external USB enclosures can be powered by USB, some require a 2nd USB connection to power it. But I think that generally comes to whether the notebook itself can provide the power.

Also note of interest.... From benchmarks I've seen, ext enclosures that have only USB or FW perform better than units that are hybrids.

 

when ya say full sized firewire, with a new MBP and a 2.5 inch external drive will thoes have full firewire ? do you mean the long firewire connection <==) that is kinda shaped like that ? ( it is a bad pic but I hope it gets my point accross )

 

never mind, figured it out, the mbp has a 7 volt bus on both its firewire ports. what is hard for me to find is a firewire only 2.5 external drive that is 160 gb size and reasonably priced. any of ya all know of a brand maby or a place that specialize in them ?

thanks

 

Try Smartdisk Firelite 160GB ext HD sold by Apple Stores /shops - does not need any external power and comes complete with firewire cable - you just simply plug and play and there is included backup software which you can either use or delete (no included CD though)