I have 2 pc, which both of them support easy connection of SATA disk (one over external box, other has nice slot directly on the case). Computers have totally different hw configurations. Is it possible to successfuly run both pc form one disk with one OS (windows 7)? Are there any possible limitations (drivers for 2 HW of a kind, etc.)?
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1GNU/Linux systems are usually better suited to such actions since they handle drivers in a different way so you can have all drivers needed for both computers installed at the same time. Depending on your needs, you may be able to run windows inside a virtual machine.– AndrejaKoJan 3, 2012 at 20:24
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1I wouldn't be surprised if this is against the EULA. It just sounds unethical.– surfasbJan 4, 2012 at 1:47
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Have you tried this eventually? Also want smth like this -- to carry only bootable ssd to my work and leave the notebook at home.– AyratNov 28, 2014 at 14:19
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@Ayrat No I haven't.– relaxxxDec 3, 2014 at 14:40
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This is against the TOS.– KeltariDec 20, 2015 at 23:05
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2 Answers
Depending on the configurations of each machine, it may be possible, however, if I recall, when hardware changes significantly enough, Windows asks you to reactivate, if the difference between the machines is significant enough, you will be on the phone with MS every time you swap the drive. This is in addition to any driver headaches or software issues that arise from plunking an OS down into a different environment every other day. Not to mention the licensing gray area youd be in (technically you are supposed to have ONE instance of windows PER machine, not one for two, this is almost no different than installing it on two machines). I wouldn't recommend this with Windows. Something like Linux Mint (or other distro) however would not have this problem, and you could most likely do a full install on the drive to be swapped, and swap it as often as you like and have virtually no hardware or software issues, and of course no reactivation problems.
answered Jan 3, 2012 at 17:03
Nope this is not possible with different processors/chipsets, I assume this is the case since you say totally different hardware configurations. When windows is installed it loads certain drivers and microcode that pertain to the particular chipset/processor. That's why you may see loading intelppm.sys during installation and I may see loading amdppm.sys. Even with similar or identical processors you may still have issues as the microcode versions could be different. The only way to make this work is to do a repair install each time you swap the disk... and you still won't be guaranteed to have a fully stable system.
answered Jan 3, 2012 at 17:04
