Will running Windows off an external USB screw up Bootloader?

[madMac000]

Morning everybody, so it took me a while but I did manage to install Snow Leopard on my Dell laptop.  Problem is the HDMI does not work, it doesn't detect it.  So to fix that problem I was wondering if I could just use a USB drive that has my Windows Vista already installed, anytime I need the HDMI, without messing up my Mac Osx installation?  I have been reading that sometimes it can mess up the bootloader and change the partition into a Guid/Mbr hybrid.  Or is that only if you dual boot of the same drive?  I have spent quite a bit of time getting it to work, so I don't want to risk losing all that work over an HDMI.

 

 If it's safe then yes, as I already have the USB windows drive ready to go.  Else forget it, I'll just go an grap myself a VGA to VGA connector to hook it up to my tv and the extra audio cable. 

 

So is it possible to run Windows vista off an external USB without messing up my internal drive that has mac os?  

 

Thanks, great forum by the way. 

[redneck]

What is your Dell model and how did you get windows on USB.

if you boot to a usb, it should be no problem.

I dual boot Win 8 and Maverick.

[madMac000]

Hi redneck thx for the quick reply.  My dell model is Inspiron 1525.  I just used Paragon Back up to restore my hard drive image that was once located where I now have Mac Osx installed and restored it back onto a USB drive instead of the internal drive.  Not sure though if it will boot or not.  Want to make sure that the USB version of windows will not effect the internal bootloader, still very new at this lol.   

 

So if i boot from USB, does Windows not attempt to mess with the bootloader on the internal drive?  Just asking because that is what I have understood can happen, or mis-understood 

[madMac000]

Ok, so I think I did mis-understand the "Windows messing with bootloader problem"   The problem described above only happens if you dual boot on the same hard drive and two partitions, not on two separate hard drives.  Well anyhow, the Windows OS installed on the USB Drive showed up on the list of drives to choose from when booting up with Chameleon    but after clicking on the OS, it doesn't load.  Gives a Windows error message with the option to place your windows installation cd in to try and repair the problem.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.