Windows 10: HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive

Discus and support HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware to solve the problem; I dono if I am posting this in the right bit but if you can help that will be great So my laptop runs off my external hard drive which is my (D) so... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware' started by questiontime101, Sep 12, 2017.

  1. HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive


    I dono if I am posting this in the right bit but if you can help that will be great

    So my laptop runs off my external hard drive which is my (D) so when I log in my desktop open up from it and it was work until today when before I turn my laptop on I put in my USB stick because I was removing stuff off it and putting some stuff on but when I log in my desktop began to run off the USB this is the first time it has done this now my USB is called (D) and my external hard drive is now (E) I unplugged my USB and restart my laptop but when I log in and the desktop opened up it was not off my external hard drive it was giving me a error message saying that the (D) desktop was missing how do I make it run off my external hard drive again and not the USB

    :)
     
    questiontime101, Sep 12, 2017
    #1
  2. mlg63 Win User

    Windows 10 cannot "Safe Eject" USB drive

    Explain what is connected to the usb drive--flash drive or external hard drive. An ext usb hard drive should be connected constantly since windows see it as an essential hard drive. If you right click on an external hard drive in Explorer, Eject is not an
    option as it is when right clicking on a dvd-cd drive or a flash drive in the usb port. An external hard drive will always be in use by windows even if you quit all running programs. If you must move it, do it when the computer is off.
     
    mlg63, Sep 12, 2017
    #2
  3. Access denied for Windows 10 Administrator

    If you're relying on external hard drive firmware for passwording or backup these can be problematic, which is why most enthusiasts will wipe the drive of these so that there is nothing that can interfere with direct file copying to/from the drive. To
    do this move the data off external to your desktop temporarily, then run
    Diskpart Clean Command
    then
    Create and format a hard disk partition - Windows Help
    .
     
    Greg Carmack - Windows MVP, Sep 12, 2017
    #3
  4. NavyLCDR New Member

    HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive

    You will have to log in to an account that runs off the normal C: drive (internal hard drive or SSD) and change the drive letter of the external hard drive back to D:.
     
    NavyLCDR, Sep 12, 2017
    #4
  5. Try3 Win User
    Please may I clarify a couple of points.
    1 I think what you mean is that Windows runs off your C:\ drive as normal but you have relocated your Desktop folder to your external drive. Is that correct?
    2 I think that you mean that the USB was connected as you booted. Is that correct?

    This is not a fault but a result of how Windows allocates drive letters as it boots up. It normally sets the OS drive to C:\ first then it sets D:\ to the next one it discovers then E:\ to the next one etc. You can force it to use drive letters of your own choosing.

    If I have understood you correctly then what you need to do is -
    1 Remove the external drive for the time being.
    2 If you are ever going to boot up with the USB stick connected in the future then you now can set it to E:\ or another later letter {except X:\} in Disk management [C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc]
    3 Reconnect the external drive
    4 Set the external drive back to D:\ in Disk management [C:\Windows\System32\diskmgmt.msc]

    Denis
     
  6. spunk Win User
    You cannot run a Windows OS off of a USB drive, so @Try3 might be on to something about your moved User files.
    Anyways, with both drives plugged in, Press the Win key+X and choose Disk Management.
    Here right click the Flash drive and choose Change Drive Letter or Paths. Change the drive letter to something lower in the alphabet, like S: or even X: it doesn't matter, as long as it is not being used.
    Now Right click the previous D: Drive and change it's drive letter to D: restart the computer. If this doesn't work, you can remove the flash drive and assign the previous D: to D: even if it is already D: that way it won't move.
     
    spunk, Sep 13, 2017
    #6
  7. NavyLCDR New Member
    Of course, the OP must get logged into the computer first - which is why they need an account that runs off of C: drive on the computer - as a permanent "fall back on" account that can be logged into when his arrangement of having the user profile stored on a removable drive fails.
     
    NavyLCDR, Sep 13, 2017
    #7
  8. HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive

    This will sound like nit picking but the official "Windows To Go" will run off of a certified USB thumb drive. You can plug it into pretty well any PC, boot from it, and run the preinstalled Windows from it. Not what the OP is doing, from the sounds of it, but it is doable. Plus there are several unofficial ways of doing it. Just saying. I have done a Windows To Go on a USB connected hard drive. Old clunky slow laptop spinner drive but it works. You need a bit of patience to use it though.

    As others have stated, a drive letter change should fix your issue.
     
    alphanumeric, Apr 5, 2018
    #8
Thema:

HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive

Loading...
  1. HELP! Windows not running off external hard drive - Similar Threads - HELP running off

  2. Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive: I need to back up old hard drive running XP I know, ancient history, trying to remedy that to external drive 500 GB My Book Essential Edition External Hard Drive USB 2.0, so I can switch to new hard drive running Windows 10. Does XP have software that will run full system...
  3. Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive: I need to back up old hard drive running XP I know, ancient history, trying to remedy that to external drive 500 GB My Book Essential Edition External Hard Drive USB 2.0, so I can switch to new hard drive running Windows 10. Does XP have software that will run full system...
  4. Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    Need help backing up old hard drive running XP to external drive: I need to back up old hard drive running XP I know, ancient history, trying to remedy that to external drive 500 GB My Book Essential Edition External Hard Drive USB 2.0, so I can switch to new hard drive running Windows 10. Does XP have software that will run full system...
  5. HELP! External Hard Drive Format

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    HELP! External Hard Drive Format: Good day everyone. I'm having difficulties with formatting my external hard drive. For the past 2-3 days, I've been trying to format it. It started acting up after sending 2 files of about 5gb each, I transferred these files at night, then the following day, it doesn't show...
  6. HELP! External Hard Drive Format

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    HELP! External Hard Drive Format: Good day everyone. I'm having difficulties with formatting my external hard drive. For the past 2-3 days, I've been trying to format it. It started acting up after sending 2 files of about 5gb each, I transferred these files at night, then the following day, it doesn't show...
  7. Running windows from external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    Running windows from external hard drive: Hi My laptop's motherboard has broken or failed. Now I want to take my data and export setting of some programslike android studio from hard drive. Is it possible to boot my new laptop in boot menu from my dead laptop's hard drive as external hard drive?...
  8. Help with external hard drive

    in Windows 10 Ask Insider
    Help with external hard drive: So my PC was running out of storage, so i got an external hard-drive. The problem is, now, I want to play a game stored to it, but it's an old model, and takes up a lot of space. How can I quickly move windows store games from my hard drive to my PC and vice versa. Thank you!...
  9. External Hard Drive Power Off?

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    External Hard Drive Power Off?: I have a WD 2TB Mypassport drive and for some reason after I shut down my desktop it still has power to it and the light blinks. I want to completely shut off everything when I shut down my PC. I checked all of the power setting and nothing seems to work. Does anyone have...
  10. External Hard drive off and on

    in Windows 10 Drivers and Hardware
    External Hard drive off and on: Hope this is in the right place. In the past few days my external hard drive makes the sound (windows notification) like when I unplug it from my desktop. Then about 5 seconds later I get another sound and notification asking me how I would like to view content for G: (my...