Is it possible to boot a Mac OS X HDD from USB 3.0/2.0??

[x182x]

Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to boot a HDD with Mac OS X installed on it, but from a USB 3.0 or 2.0 port??
My scenario is as follows:
I currently have Win7 installed on my notebook with a MBR formatted HDD (HDD #1). I NEED to keep this configuration working for normal use/studies/etc... I already tried to do a Dual-Boot and got Mac OS X Snow Leopard to work, but after getting to the point where I couldn't but neither to Win7 or Mac OS X, I went back to using Win7 only =(.
Another option I was thinking about is that I could buy another internal 2.5" HDD (HDD #2) for my notebook and install Mac OS X on it (using GPT and connecting it as the only HDD to my notebook through SATA). After I get everything to work on Mac OS X or at least most of my hardware, I could buy an USB 3.0 2.5" HDD Enclosure, reinstall HDD #1 on my notebook and boot HDD #2 from a USB 3.0/2.0 port whenever I need to. Is this possible??

Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[madhatter]

Not completely certain that this would work, however my desktop systems have recognized both external HDD and flash drives connected during the install process (on USB 2.0 as 3.0 is not native and needs a kext to work). Best bet would be to get an external 2.5" enclosure and attempt an install directly to it as an external. If everything works, then install Win7 to the internal. If that doesn't work perhaps (if you don't use your DVD drive) get a HDD caddy and install the second drive there. That is currently how I have my laptop configured. I use an external USB DVD drive when I need to use a disk (rarely) or need to burn a DVD. (I previously had a dual boot using the 2nd method -- using BIOS boot selection to choose OS upon boot; Now however I have the 2nd drive formatted to GPT instead of MBR and use it for storage and the location of my Win7 Parallels install, using coherence mode to run any windows only programs.)

 

[x182x]

I've got two more questions:
1.- If I have two HDDs (HDD #1 and HDD #2, where HDD #1 is formatted as MBR and already has Win7 installed) and I take HDD #1 out of my Laptop and install HDD #2, which is NEW & EMPTY and I try to install Mac OS X on this HDD. I can go back to HDD #1 and boot Win7 normally anytime, as using HDD #2 to install Mac OS X doesn't mess anything up on HDD #1, right?? (Just wanted to make sure that installing Mac OS X on my laptop only makes changes on the HDD, not the other parts of it).
2.- Is it possible to have two HDDs, one MBR and the other one GPT, and share files between them??

 

[madhatter]

Ok as far as One MBR one GPT.... yes, even if you have both drives connected at the time of install of OS X (at least in what I have encountered thus far in 4 builds of a hackintosh) the install only affects the drive in question. Using chimera you will then have both drives available for boot (if both are actively plugged in and you dont have a timeout option for boot by default). My dell I have replaced the optical drive for an additional hdd. At the time of original install that drive was MBR with Win7. Worked fine.

As far as USB 3.0 connection for external drive, I don't believe that will work for a long time. USB 3.0 is not native to OS X, thus requiring a kext to enable it and as such is not available at boot. USB 2.0 external drive however (as far as what I have tried) does work.

As for file sharing between the two, on the Windows side there are freeware programs that allow read-only access to HFS+ formatted drives. Mountain Lion does have a built in read-only ability for NTFS drives. To have write access however you will need licensed software to achieve it on both sides. Tuxera NTFS for Mac works well (is what I use) as does Paragon NTFS for Mac. On the Windows Side of it, Paragon again offers a solution, and I have heard of (but never used) MacDrive.

Hope this information helps.

 

[x182x]

Thank you, madhatter! It's good to know that someone has already tried to boot from external HDDs (with positive results)... I'll give it a try now and see how it goes =).
Also, I keep asking for USB 3.0 support, because I belive that MacBook's have native support for it now (http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...re-i5-2.5-13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html), I'll just have to see if it's compatible with my laptop's hardware...

 

[madhatter]

Very nice to know that USB 3.0 is now native to the macbook pro models. Perhaps with the proper kext on the ML install drive it would work. Will have to try testing that at some point.

 

[x182x]

I've still got some questions regarding the bootloaders (Windows bootloader and Chimera).
Like I said if already have Win7 x64 on my Internal HDD (MBR, HDD#1) and want to install Mac OS X SL->ML (GTP, HDD#2) on an external HDD, do each HDD keep a bootloader after installing both OSs?? For example, I could always boot from HDD#1 using the Windows bootloader installed on it. Then whenever I want to boot my Mac OS X HDD, HDD#2, I could just plug my external HDD on my Laptop, power on, go to Boot List, select HDD#2, and it would boot into Mac OS X using Chimera installed on HDD#2. (Is this correct??)
And also, if I try to install Mac OS X into my external HDD (HDD #2), the installation process would never touch my internal HDD (HDD #1), right?? Because I really need my Win7 installation for studies/work/etc... (and want Mac OS X for Video Editing ). And then if something goes wrong while installing Mac OS X, I could always format HDD #2 and start over the installation process, while also always having Win7 to boot into.

 

[x182x]

Anyone else has tried this configuration?? I'd like to read more opinions before I actually start installing Mac OS X and accidentally mess everything up.

 

[prologue]

I've still got some questions regarding the bootloaders (Windows bootloader and Chimera).
Like I said if already have Win7 x64 on my Internal HDD (MBR, HDD#1) and want to install Mac OS X SL->ML (GTP, HDD#2) on an external HDD, do each HDD keep a bootloader after installing both OSs?? For example, I could always boot from HDD#1 using the Windows bootloader installed on it. Then whenever I want to boot my Mac OS X HDD, HDD#2, I could just plug my external HDD on my Laptop, power on, go to Boot List, select HDD#2, and it would boot into Mac OS X using Chimera installed on HDD#2. (Is this correct??)
And also, if I try to install Mac OS X into my external HDD (HDD #2), the installation process would never touch my internal HDD (HDD #1), right?? Because I really need my Win7 installation for studies/work/etc... (and want Mac OS X for Video Editing ). And then if something goes wrong while installing Mac OS X, I could always format HDD #2 and start over the installation process, while also always having Win7 to boot into.

You can easily experiment with external drives, will not affect your internal drive.Actually it easier to install sl,l or ml on external drive than on a partition in the internal drive.I always used external drives (GPT or MBR depending from the OSes)before installing on the internal drive. I own ans asus n56vm and there are only USB 3.0 (usb 2.0 compatible) i had some issues with dp of ML in the beginning but with last releases of ML is fine.You can install a bootloader for the external drive.In my actual configuration I use windows from the internal drive and ML on the external drive. In the Bios or Startup menu you can choose what HD you wanna boot.
Hope it helps

 

[blackspy619]

Anyone else has tried this configuration?? I'd like to read more opinions before I actually start installing Mac OS X and accidentally mess everything up.

This is my EXACT configurar windows ption. Its a good way to learn about hackintoshing as you will never risk damaging your windows parititon. Plus, if you mess up, you can just format it and try again. I have an MSI G683r laptop with USB 3 and have never gotten it to boot even with the drivers while connected to USB 3 port. USB 2 is okay tho. Performance is pretty good, and any sort of lag is unnoticable. The only downside is if you want to run more advanced applications such as games and things like Adobe After Affects you may run into slowness. I would recommend using your external drive to play around, get familiar, and create a working build and then buy a HDD caddy and install it instead of your CD drive and then you shoulld get full perrformance. I'm actually about to buy one for my laptop and they only cost about $40.