Curious about booting from an external drive


ICIT2LOL

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Location
Central West NSW Australia
OS
Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
Now I have an old Ivy Bridge build of mine that is running Windows11pro using the bypass rules to enable this to happen.
Now just out of curiosity I was thinking of cloning the internal SSD drive to an external NVMe drive in an external caddy and then set the boot sequence to boot from the external drive to make booting up faster.
I do have an internal spot to put a card to hold a NVMe drive (an Asus P8Z99-l) because the case is itself fairly compact and it would further clutter up the installed cards which are for the GPU and an Asus Xonar sound card.
So in any case would my idea to run the computer from the external drive work or not and by the by I am not sure of how to check to see if the board would support a NVMe drive.
 
Windows Build/Version
22H2 (OS Build 2261.1778)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivo notebook X712FA or Desktop Ivy Bridge build
    CPU
    i7 -10510U / Intel i5 3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus generic & Asus P8Z77-V
    Memory
    Samsung 16GB DDR4 2666 MHz & G-Skill 16GB DDR3 2134MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    On board Intel CPU graphics & Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Laptop onboard & Xonar DSX Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic & Samsung 27" SAM0C4C
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro NMe & Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    Asus in built
    Keyboard
    Generic
    Mouse
    Logitec Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs max allowance - occasionally up to 75Mbs
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    ESET Ultimate Security on both
    Other Info
    Desktop running Windows11 Pro with unsupported hardware fix
I'd be hard pressed to believe that you would really notice much difference booting off an external NVMe drive. If it were an internal spinner HDD, then yes it would be faster. But you likely don't have USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports or USB-C on this box, so you aren't able to hit 10Gpbs. On a 5Gbps USB 3 port, you are looking at a max of around 500MB/sec...so roughly the same you are getting with your internal SSD.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Thanks PParks that really answers my query.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivo notebook X712FA or Desktop Ivy Bridge build
    CPU
    i7 -10510U / Intel i5 3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus generic & Asus P8Z77-V
    Memory
    Samsung 16GB DDR4 2666 MHz & G-Skill 16GB DDR3 2134MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    On board Intel CPU graphics & Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Laptop onboard & Xonar DSX Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic & Samsung 27" SAM0C4C
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro NMe & Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    Asus in built
    Keyboard
    Generic
    Mouse
    Logitec Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs max allowance - occasionally up to 75Mbs
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    ESET Ultimate Security on both
    Other Info
    Desktop running Windows11 Pro with unsupported hardware fix
Would it boot? YES.
Would it be faster? We all wish it is. But NO. It's the exact opposite. And worse.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    MSI MPG Gaming Edge Wifi (X570)
    Memory
    32GB Adata XPG DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GTX 1070 8GB ROG
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Main Boot Drive : 512GB Adata XPG RGB Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 SSD
    PSU
    EVGA 600 Watts Gold
    Case
    Deepcool Genome II
    Cooling
    Deepcool Fryzen
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    "Moderna"
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Xtreme6 Z97
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI R9 290
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG Ultrawide 34"
    Screen Resolution
    3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    500GB Adata SSD (OS Only)
    PSU
    Thermaltake 475 Watts 80 Bronze
    Case
    Thermaltake Commander I Snow Edition
    Cooling
    Deep Cool Archer Air Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Armageddon MKA-5R RGB-Hornet
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Moderna :)
Thanks badrobot I will not set this up then - well it was jst a passing theory of mine - must have been daydreaming too much.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivo notebook X712FA or Desktop Ivy Bridge build
    CPU
    i7 -10510U / Intel i5 3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus generic & Asus P8Z77-V
    Memory
    Samsung 16GB DDR4 2666 MHz & G-Skill 16GB DDR3 2134MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    On board Intel CPU graphics & Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Laptop onboard & Xonar DSX Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic & Samsung 27" SAM0C4C
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro NMe & Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    Asus in built
    Keyboard
    Generic
    Mouse
    Logitec Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs max allowance - occasionally up to 75Mbs
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    ESET Ultimate Security on both
    Other Info
    Desktop running Windows11 Pro with unsupported hardware fix
Ok Denis I think will give it a miss as the general consensus id=s that even it works it wouldn't make my boot time nay faster anyway. But thanks for the link :wink:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivo notebook X712FA or Desktop Ivy Bridge build
    CPU
    i7 -10510U / Intel i5 3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus generic & Asus P8Z77-V
    Memory
    Samsung 16GB DDR4 2666 MHz & G-Skill 16GB DDR3 2134MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    On board Intel CPU graphics & Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Laptop onboard & Xonar DSX Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic & Samsung 27" SAM0C4C
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro NMe & Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    Asus in built
    Keyboard
    Generic
    Mouse
    Logitec Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs max allowance - occasionally up to 75Mbs
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    ESET Ultimate Security on both
    Other Info
    Desktop running Windows11 Pro with unsupported hardware fix
I don't, and I won't do anything with NVMe. Having said that, I have booted up my PC from an external SSD sitting in a Docking Station.
But, the connection to the PC is through a USB 2.0 port and cable, and it's pretty dang slow. Not something I'd want to do to improve performance.
But, just as an experiment, YES it worked.
Good luck,
TM :cool:
 

My Computer

Give it a couple of years and every new computer model might well use only M.2 NVMe.
Yes Denis I agree and personally I find the NVMe drives not only super fast bu easier to install or swap out.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (OS Build 22631.4169) Desktop (OS Build 22621.4317)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Vivo notebook X712FA or Desktop Ivy Bridge build
    CPU
    i7 -10510U / Intel i5 3750K
    Motherboard
    Asus generic & Asus P8Z77-V
    Memory
    Samsung 16GB DDR4 2666 MHz & G-Skill 16GB DDR3 2134MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    On board Intel CPU graphics & Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti
    Sound Card
    Laptop onboard & Xonar DSX Card
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic & Samsung 27" SAM0C4C
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro NMe & Samsung 870 EVO 500GB
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    Asus in built
    Keyboard
    Generic
    Mouse
    Logitec Wireless
    Internet Speed
    50Mbs max allowance - occasionally up to 75Mbs
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    ESET Ultimate Security on both
    Other Info
    Desktop running Windows11 Pro with unsupported hardware fix

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