Need Help GFY Tech People -- Can You Add Windows XP On An External HD ?
 

I've been in Tennessee visiting my parents the last 10 days and I talked them into getting a new laptop as the old gateway they had was outdated and slow. I have spent the entire day transferring all their files and programs over to the new pc. Everything was going great until I tried syncing my mom?s PDA with the new laptop. We have spent hours on the phone with Palm and we are still having problems. Seems Windows 7 does not support the software on a 64 bit machine. My mom loves her PDA and doesn?t want to get a new one. So the only thing I can think of is adding Windows XP on an external drive just to run the PDA. Is it possible to run to operating systems on one pc? We don?t want to mess with the internal drive on the laptop as they bought an extended warranty. If anyone can offer any advice that would be great. Thanks in advance.

Tried running the PDA software in XP compatibility mode?

Yeah, it's pretty easy actually, although I can't remember the actual steps. Basically, start from scratch (sorry), partition the hard drive, then put a bootstrapper / loader program on (WIndows comes with this) that lets you choose which partition / OS you want to load when you boot. Install an OS on each partition.

Can't remember the specifics, but easily done, and Google will tell you.

Different types of communication systems need to be synced together. Synergy must be created. Good luck. Use phone, cell phone, email, forums, instant messengers, etc.

I think television is one-way communication.

The PDA is a Tungsten e2 and works great with their old laptop on XP. She really needs documents to go working also. I have been trying to get it to work on Windows 7 64 bit with no luck. I have searched google all day and it seems it will not work with Windows 7. We had to get a bluetooth dongal adapter and it is still not working. I'm just hoping to get XP set up on an external drive so my mom can use XP to use her PDA and Windows7 for everything else.

What he said

EDIT What version of 7 are you running?

People still use PDA's?
you can run any program off an external, I even have a version of photoshop that runs off a thumbdrive

It seems the HD in the laptop is already partitioned. It has the operating system (windows 7 64 bit) on 100 gigs of the HD and the other 400 gigs as the E as Data.

My mom loves hers. It keeps all of their prescriptions and recipes on it and works when she scans in stuff off her printer. It was hard enough to get them to get a new PC let alone a new organizer haha

On a side note I think she just got it to work all on her own after she talked to the Palm tech support for the 100th time today! She is dancing around the house with a glass of wine. I will know in just a few mins lol.

FatFoo was most helpful, I see.
Get a Western Digital portable HD, the little palm-sized ones (no pun intended) and put XP on there, then run the PDA through the WD. You may need some extra cables but it can be done. But sounds like your mom may have it all figured out. Good luck!

PS: Now we know why Zuzana is so hot - she comes from Tennessee. Lotsa purty ladies down Nashville way! :)

This explain how to install XP on a USB Flash Drive:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13257/Boot...SB-Flash-Drive

Thanks for the advice everyone, looks like my mom has it all figured out, she is such a smart lady. She is using office11 and it made it all work. Another piece of old software she does not want to give up cause she knows how to use it. We are from California originally. My parents retired 4 years ago and moved to Tennessee as it is state tax free.

Yeah don't mess with that darn dere internal hard drive! :uhoh ...

Just suck it up and ERASE Windows 7 and install WinXP on the original hard drive... stop being such a girl!

Good for her, I'm always helping the folks with stuff, I got my mom to start texting, that was fun, got her a cell phone with a slide out qwerty key board, she loves it now that I personalized it. Now dad wants a better phone and I usually have to go into his PC once every 6 months and delete shit for half a day, LMAO

You should show her a BlackBerry, I love my storm

Oh well, then forget what I said. Tennesseans are all dogs. LOL
You know, I suck at compliments.
I just realized!
Explains a lot, actually.
:(

easy first load your external HD, Install winxp at external HD, after installing open your other pc or laptop... be sure to boot up first the external HD. It will search the component for your laptop or pc and install the drivers.

Your disk performance is going to suffer. Using USB for something that I/O intensive is going to be painful.

You might also need to get drive controller drivers for your external enclosure, assuming it's not detected automatically.

After installation, reconfigure your BIOS to boot from your usb media.

In our datacenter, many installations of operating systems are done via usb-cdrom, or via a usb floppy. So i don't see why you wouldn't be able to boot from a usb hard drive.

Now she needs an updated phone/pda.

That's very sweet of you V. Helping the parents always makes me feel good. I'm teaching them how to use the camera on the pc today so we can video chat while they travel. They are pretty excited about that technology. We are installing the last couple things this morning. She has an older printer we are trying to get the drivers for now. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. We looked at some fancy phones at Verizon last week. They have these tiny little flip phones that they bough like 8 years ago that they will not give these up. Once they find something they know how to use it?s what they stick with until it dies.

haha thanks for the kind words above :) It was very sweet of you. All of the guys and girls I have seen here in Cookeville seem to be rednecks (not that there is anything wrong with that) I guess all the hotties are in Nashville.

Getting my parents to upgrade was a little like pulling teeth, but when I explained that they could leave a message by texting and get their email, they loved it, the slide out key pad made it easier as well. Mom found that by texting my daughter, she got more communication from her.

With the price of printers, I would buy a new one for them, you can get a new one with scanner and fax for under $100 and go with a compnay thats cheaper on ink like Epson, that is if you can't get the drivers for the old printer.

Last week I upgraded my moms PC with a flat screen, I had a 22" viewsonic I wasn't using

Funny you posted this V. I just got them a Kodak printer with those options:) I also set up a site so we can all share pics and movies really easy using Vbull. I'm trying to get them all upgraded to 2010 haha.

My dad and I are off to a shooting range for a couple hours. He just picked up a new handgun and we are going to shoot some rounds through it. It’s been several years since I had the chance to shoot. I was in the Army the last time I did any target practice. Speaking of military how is your daughter doing if you don't mind me asking?

She just sent me a new picture of her all done up with medals and ribbons and a warfare pin, she looks like a war hero. It's on my face book page. When she gets out, she's going to get her prerequisites done so she can go to medical school. It will look cool having her military picture next to her doctor picture when she gets that done. Yeah everyone knows how proud I am of her. I'm going to try and get down to San Diego in October with Briana and tour the USS Ronald Reagan, the officer in charge of that said she would get a VIP tour,I'm just thinking of the PR for it, LOL

You are such a great dad and have an awesome daughter to be proud of :) I saw the icq ya sent earlier but the connection here at my parents is really shitty so I will take a look tomorrow night when I get home. Take lots of pics of the tour and shoot them over to me when you do take it.

Again thanks everyone for all the links and help, it seems like I have everything loaded on my parents PC and I'm off to bed in just a bit as I have a long drive tomorrow morning back to North Carolina.