Booting permanently from external (USB 3 or Thunderbolt) drive?

I'm interested in upgrading my 2010 iMac to one of the new 2012 models, specifically for their USB 3 and Thunderbolt port offerings.
My question is; if I have an external USB 3 or Thunderbolt drive enclosure with an SSD, can I *safely and reliably* boot from this external drive for as long as I own the iMac (ie, never use the 1 TB internal HDD that comes with the iMac)? I'm not interested in Fusion Drive, as I'd rather pay that $250 toward a speedier SSD and external drive that I can own and freely move among different machines.
But I've read different accounts in other forums about the reliability of using USB as your primary external boot source, namely since it relies on the CPU and you'll get slightly diminsihed performance and/or errors over time. Maybe Thunderbolt is the way to go? Any advice on this?
I see posts like this one (http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.ca/2012/10/blacx-5g-usb-30-update-fastest-usb -30.html) and it gives me hope, but I don't want to have to deal with random crashes attributable solely to my use of an external drive as my primary boot source. Is anyone else using this kind of external-only setup, and can you please let me know your thoughts and experiences thus far?
Thanks!

First and foremost: Are you using OPTION to try to select the USB-DVD to boot from?
The MacBook Air has to, and has to place a set of Apple supplied drivers on USB I think or has USB DVD support.
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp
one feature Boot Camp Assistant has been broken never worked part of 10.6.6, to download drivers to put on CD/USB. So that is 5 months status: broken and unacknowledged officially.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4407
A nice normal walk-thru install, what I think most expect -
http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/01/15/using-boot-camp-to-install-windows-7-on-you r-mac-the-complete-walkthrough/

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Booting os from External usb hd problem

First i tried firewire, i found the partitions and could make new ones, but when i started to copy windows files the instalation refused to go on. Ok so i tried the usb port, i could now copy all the windows files, the pc rebooted and the xp logo was turning up as it supose to but right when the main instalation was supose to start i get a nice bluescreen instead, telling me my hard disk is corrupt, that is not true, checked it sevral times, tried to reinstall only to have the same problem again (also went into bios and tried diff settings with the usb hardisk boot etc)
Im positiv that this should work, im so close but what im i missing to get to install my xp on external usb hardisk controller?
i use kn8 platinium with all the newest drivers and bios flash.
Thankful for any sugestion or reply!!
Edit: i want i dual boot as i run xp on my internal hardisk.

But i should work, heard many that pulled this off.Ii think that if you could have a portable bootable external hardisk, it would be perfect for bringing home the exact system from work (when you have similar or exact same specs on your pc). Well no matter what my reasons should be i want to pull this off
And i dont think Xp is the problem, the last thing i tried was setting the usb disk active from managment, but that didnt work either. If anyone have any info at all i would gladly take it.

Booting OS from external USB drive?

I have a MBP (mid-2009). With my old computer, I could only boot the OS from an external drive (via firewire). I thought I heard that with my new Mac I can boot the OS from an external drive (via USB).
Is this true? I can buy a USB enclosure pretty cheap and need to know if I can boot the OS from it.
Thanks,
Bryan

The drive is formatted GUID and on install, you have to deselect everything not essential, like extra fonts, printer drivers (these take up a fair amount of space) Language Translations and X11, but the basic installation was still shown as 5.9G, leaving 254MB on the disk. With earlier versions of the OS (and 10.6 from what I saw briefly) you can also deselect unneeded applications, which also takes the size down. (For an iPod a couple of years ago, the installation was 1.1G.)
Next time a 16G would be better as I was unable to update to 10.5.8 but I still had enough space for Disk Warrior. Time for 10.6. . . .

Unable to boot MBA from external USB hard disk

I'm trying to boot an Air from an external hard disk, but the partition is not being recognized when I boot up and hold down the OPTION key. I've tried making bootable clones with Disk Utility (Restore), Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper and none of the three pop up as an available boot partition. The external drive was properly partitioned as a GUID disk. Any ideas what the problem could be?

Did you also format the drive Mac OS X Extended, Journaled? As follows:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder. If you need to reformat your startup volume, then you must boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

Windows 7 from external USB Optical or Thumb Drive

Hi,
I recently got a new 2011 17" MBP and swapped the optical for an SSD. Now I have been trying to install Windows 7 from an external DVD reader via USB....when I attempt this and boot from the device, it spins for about 15 seconds and then stops while the screen is black with just a blinking cursor. I am in the process of trying to put together a bootable thumb drive to see how that will work. Is there anything I should know here, am I wasting my time? I have seen various posts regarding various install issues on the internet, but most refer to XP or older computers.
Any advice?
Thanks,
Chris

First and foremost: Are you using OPTION to try to select the USB-DVD to boot from?
The MacBook Air has to, and has to place a set of Apple supplied drivers on USB I think or has USB DVD support.
http://www.apple.com/support/bootcamp
one feature Boot Camp Assistant has been broken never worked part of 10.6.6, to download drivers to put on CD/USB. So that is 5 months status: broken and unacknowledged officially.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4407
A nice normal walk-thru install, what I think most expect -
http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/01/15/using-boot-camp-to-install-windows-7-on-you r-mac-the-complete-walkthrough/

Boot from external USB HDD - Tecra M5

Hi!
Does anyone know is it possible to boot OS from external HDD connected to notebook via USB-port? There is "HDD priority" in BIOS setup with an ability to choose: USB - Built-in - Second HDD. But it doesn't work :(
I tried to boot Windows 98 from the same external USB-HDD on my home computer. Everything is OK...
The version of my Tecra M5 BIOS is 3.20.
TIA

Hi
You can boot from the second HDD if this HDD was placed in the SelectBay but not if the HDD was connected to the USB port.
Only this devices are bootable:
USB FDD, Primary HDD, SelectBay devices, Network(LAN), SD-CARD

Satellite L20-100 can be booted from external USB hard drive?

I recently bought Toshiba Satellite L20-100 and I wonder if:
1. is there any possibility to boot this machine from external usb hard drive?
2. it is possible to attach another internal hard drive?
Supposing that the both answers above are 'no', how can I solve the following problem: I need hdd space, I need to boot 3 separate Wxp Operating Systems onto the same machine (Toshiba Satellite L20-100).

Booting from external USB HD - "No" would be the official, mcrsoft sponsored, answer. However, it is possible. Not easy but it can be done. I've seen it done with my own eyes and there are guides how to do this. Just look for it with search engine. But if you have enough disk space you better do what was suggested here - create 3 partitions and use boot manager.

Boot MacBook Pro From External USB HD

I have a 20 GB external USB HD. This drive started life as a replacement drive for my 3rd generation iPod. I could not get the drive to work in the iPod so I bought a USB enclosure for it and planned on using it as an emergency boot drive. (I could not find a reasonably priced FireWire enclosure for this 1.8" Toshiba HD.) The drive enclosure is USB 2 and has the small triangular shaped USB port, like you would find on a camera. I have installed Mac OS 10.4.6 and some diagnostic apps on the drive. However, I cannot seem to boot from the external drive. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.
PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 Bluetooth Mac OS X (10.4.4) ADC Select Member

I don't believe this is possible with USB.
The official name for this is "Firewire Booting", which shows that FW, rather than the hard drive, is a necessary part of external booting. Same with Firewire Target Mode.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58606
MBP 2.0, 2GB Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Is it possible to connect an external USB 2.0 hard drive to a Thunderbolt Display?

Hello,
Is it possible to connect an external USB 2.0 hard drive to a Thunderbolt Display and back up a MacBook Air to the external hard drive using Time Machine?
I intend to connect my MacBook Air to the Thunderbolt Display using a Thunderbolt cable.
I would also like to connect my printer via USB 2.0 to the Thunderbolt Display. Will this also work?
Effectively using the Thunderbolt Display as a USB hub or docking station.
Regards,
Ben

Ok, thanks.
My 1 cable to ThunderBolt Display objective
MacBook Air -> (via 1 x Thunderbolt cable) -> Thunderbolt Display -> (via 1 x USB cable) -> USB 2.0 external hard drive
I would like to know if this configuration is possible and Time Machine will run correctly.
Your 2 cable suggestion (I think)
MacBook Air -> (via 1 x Thunderbolt cable + 1 x USB cable) -> Thunderbolt Display + USB 2.0 external hard drive
This configuration requires 2 cables to disconnect/reconnect from my MacBook Air.

Booting mini from external drive ?

I net to boot a 1.83 core duo from external with no on board drive or bay installed. Is that possiable?

I'm not sure if that will work or not?
I do know that the Mac Mini's will startup from either FireWire or USB External HD's, because I have and run from either.
Where is the HD or do you have a new one to put back into it?
If you have a new Hard Drive that you can install into it, then do so and startup from either your Install DVD or your bootable clone and follow the instructions below.
1. Startup from your install DVD or Bootable Clone and open Disk Utility.
2. Highlight the new HD in the list of drives and select the Partition tab.
3. Under Volume Scheme select 1 Partition and click on the Options... button.
4. Select GUID Partition Table in the drop down window and click OK.
5. Set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Apply button.
6. Once thats done then you can do a clean Install, restore from TM or clone OS X back from your Bootable Clone.

THERE are Macbooks can boot linux from a usb stick linux?

THERE are Macbooks can boot linux from a usb stick linux? like a usb stick with Fedora or ubuntu...

Mid 2011 MacBook Air.
I have gotten linux running on an older mac, but I think I had to use rEFIT
http://refit.sourceforge.net/

Booting from a USB 2.0 flash drive

After reading an article on website MAC OS X Hints on booting from a USB 2.0 flash drive I decided to try it. I used DasBoot to create an OSX system. I then booted in Open Firmware and typed 'devalias' as the instuction said to do but I never got the 'ud' listing that I was supposed to see so I was never able to boot off the drive. I followed all the instuctions then typed mac-boot. When the system restarted it momentarily flashed the folder with the ? on it then proceeded to boot off the internal HD. Anyone else tried to boot off a USB 2.0 drive with an iMac G5 Rev A running 10.4.10 and was successful?

Since you didn't post a reference to the OS X Hints article it's hard to tell what you may have done wrong. When you post a problem you need to provide complete information.
That said you shouldn't have to do anything special except to be sure you properly partition and format the flash device:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility.
2. After DU loads select your flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Click on the Options button and be sure to select the APM partition scheme then click on the OK button. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition only.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume mounts on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.
After formatting has completed you can install OS X and then upgrade it to 10.4.10. That should be all you need do. Now open the Startup Disk preference pane, select the icon of the flash drive, then click on the Restart button.

External USB 2.0 hard drive reconnects on its own after power-down

I have an external USB 2.0 hard drive which I'm trying to power off (after unmounting all partitions, of course) using:
$ udisksctl power-off --block-device /dev/sdb
When I do this, the drive spins back up after a few seconds. Only when I issue the same command again does the drive stay powered off.
I'm running:
linux 3.13.7-1
udisks2 2.1.3-1
This is what I see in the journal log when I:
- Plug in the drive's USB cable
- Issue the power-off command
- After the drive spins up again, issue the command again
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop kernel: usb 1-5: new high-speed USB device number 10 using ehci-pci
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop kernel: usb-storage 1-5:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop kernel: usb-storage 1-5:1.0: Quirks match for vid 1058 pid 0704: 8000
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop kernel: scsi12 : usb-storage 1-5:1.0
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop mtp-probe[21301]: checking bus 1, device 10: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:04.1/usb1/1-5"
Mar 29 19:51:01 miki-desktop mtp-probe[21301]: bus: 1, device: 10 was not an MTP device
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: scsi 12:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD 5000BMV External 1.75 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] 976773168 512-byte logical blocks: (500 GB/465 GiB)
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sdb: sdb1 sdb2
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:02 miki-desktop kernel: sd 12:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk
Mar 29 19:51:47 miki-desktop udisksd[21107]: Powering off /dev/sdb - successfully sent SCSI command START STOP UNIT
Mar 29 19:51:47 miki-desktop udisksd[21107]: Powered off /dev/sdb - successfully wrote to sysfs path /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:04.1/usb1/1-5/remove
Mar 29 19:51:47 miki-desktop kernel: usb 1-5: USB disconnect, device number 10
Mar 29 19:51:47 miki-desktop kernel: usb 2-5: new full-speed USB device number 9 using ohci-pci
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop kernel: usb 2-5: not running at top speed; connect to a high speed hub
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop kernel: usb-storage 2-5:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop kernel: usb-storage 2-5:1.0: Quirks match for vid 1058 pid 0704: 8000
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop kernel: scsi13 : usb-storage 2-5:1.0
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop mtp-probe[21555]: checking bus 2, device 9: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:04.0/usb2/2-5"
Mar 29 19:51:48 miki-desktop mtp-probe[21555]: bus: 2, device: 9 was not an MTP device
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: scsi 13:0:0:0: Direct-Access WD 5000BMV External 1.75 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] 976773168 512-byte logical blocks: (500 GB/465 GiB)
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:49 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:52 miki-desktop kernel: sdb: sdb1 sdb2
Mar 29 19:51:52 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found
Mar 29 19:51:52 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
Mar 29 19:51:52 miki-desktop kernel: sd 13:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk
Mar 29 19:52:20 miki-desktop udisksd[21107]: Powering off /dev/sdb - successfully sent SCSI command START STOP UNIT
Mar 29 19:52:20 miki-desktop udisksd[21107]: Powered off /dev/sdb - successfully wrote to sysfs path /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:04.0/usb2/2-5/remove
Mar 29 19:52:20 miki-desktop kernel: usb 2-5: USB disconnect, device number 9
What is interesting is that on first connect, the drive is using ehci-pci driver, then after the first try powering it off, the drive appears to reconnect using the ohci-pci driver. Not just that, it appears to 'jump' from one USB bus to another. How is this even possible?
$ lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 Host Bridge (rev a2)
00:00.1 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a2)
00:01.0 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.1 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.2 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.3 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.4 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.5 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:01.6 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:02.0 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation nForce 630i memory controller (rev a1)
00:03.0 ISA bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 LPC Bridge (rev a2)
00:03.1 SMBus: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 SMBus (rev a1)
00:03.2 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 Memory Controller (rev a1)
00:03.3 Co-processor: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 Co-processor (rev a2)
00:03.4 RAM memory: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 Memory Controller (rev a1)
00:04.0 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation GeForce 7100/nForce 630i USB (rev a1)
00:04.1 USB controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 [nForce 630i] USB 2.0 Controller (EHCI) (rev a1)
00:0a.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 PCI Express bridge (rev a1)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 PCI Express bridge (rev a1)
00:0c.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 PCI Express bridge (rev a1)
00:0d.0 PCI bridge: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 PCI Express bridge (rev a1)
00:0e.0 IDE interface: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 IDE (rev a2)
00:0f.0 Ethernet controller: NVIDIA Corporation MCP73 Ethernet (rev a2)
01:06.0 Multimedia audio controller: C-Media Electronics Inc CMI8738/CMI8768 PCI Audio (rev 10)
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RV710 [Radeon HD 4550]
02:00.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] RV710/730 HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 4000 series]
$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 009: ID 1058:0704 Western Digital Technologies, Inc. Passport External HDD
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 007: ID 15ca:0101 Textech International Ltd. MIDI Interface cable
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 04d9:1603 Holtek Semiconductor, Inc. Keyboard
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c001 Logitech, Inc. N48/M-BB48 [FirstMouse Plus]
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Before the first power-off attempt:
$ lsusb -t
/: Bus 02.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=ohci-pci/10p, 12M
|__ Port 1: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 0, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 1, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 4: Dev 7, If 0, Class=Audio, Driver=snd-usb-audio, 12M
|__ Port 4: Dev 7, If 1, Class=Audio, Driver=snd-usb-audio, 12M
/: Bus 01.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=ehci-pci/10p, 480M
|__ Port 5: Dev 9, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=usb-storage, 480M
After the first power-off attempt:
$ lsusb -t
/: Bus 02.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=ohci-pci/10p, 12M
|__ Port 1: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 0, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 1, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 1.5M
|__ Port 4: Dev 7, If 0, Class=Audio, Driver=snd-usb-audio, 12M
|__ Port 4: Dev 7, If 1, Class=Audio, Driver=snd-usb-audio, 12M
|__ Port 5: Dev 10, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=usb-storage, 12M
/: Bus 01.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=ehci-pci/10p, 480M
Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Is it a device quirk, a driver bug or something?
Last edited by ackalker (2014-03-29 19:21:04)

Just to be sure, I rebooted my system, shut down lightdm from another VT, made sure that really nothing is using the drive, no partitions are mounted, no services that could try to use the drive (except udisks2.service, could this one be the problem? But how am I supposed to use the udisksctl command when the service isn't running?).
Tried the same command again. same result: I needed to run it twice in a row for it to 'take'.
What I find even more fascinating: how can a USB device jump from one USB bus to another like that? I've honestly never seen anything like this before :-)
Last edited by ackalker (2014-03-29 19:35:29)

Losing connection to external drives, tried disc utility got a message "No live updatin...? Retried new connections; is there a way to test the external usb hub? The drives will occasionally display in Apple profile. Any help would be deeply appreciated

Losing connection to external drives, tried disc utility got a message "No live updatin...? Retried new connections; is there a way to test the external usb hub? The drives will occasionally display in Apple profile. Any help would be deeply appreciated

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Boot from external USB disk

Is there any way to boot from an external USB disk formatted in NTFS or UFS (CD/DVD format)? Basically my idea was to be able to boot the Win7 install image from an USB device. I tried many different ways, I even have my old internal HDD with the boot camp partition in a USB case (I just upgraded to 500GB!! ;)) but I can't in any way boot from USB. Only OSX backup and its installation disk boot fine from an external USB source. Any idea?

It isn't well supported by Microsoft. The problem on Apple hardware is you can't even make changes to the BIOS boot manager.
I have 4 internal hard drives so it is rather easy to boot from one hard drive and run the installer.
You ran into the lack of support for UEFI though which adds another layer and meant most likely having to alter and reburn the ISO to disc with Imgburn or something (and can be done from Windows only so you need a VM).
I got tired of the trouble and work arounds needed though and in the end I just built my own custom PCs - one of which has native eSATA that are bootable (an Intel DX58SO board).
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Booting permanently from external (USB 3 or Thunderbolt) drive?

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