Installing Mac OS X onto an External Hard Drive

Will installing Mac OS X onto an external hard drive erase or mess with in any way files that are already on the external hard drive?
Can I safely install Mac OS X to an external hard drive that already has stuff on it to make it a bootable volume and still be able to access those initial files on the hard drive?

Will installing Mac OS X onto an external hard drive erase or mess with in any way files that are already on the external hard drive?
Not unless an Erase & Install is performed.
Can I safely install Mac OS X to an external hard drive that already has stuff on it to make it a bootable volume and still be able to access those initial files on the hard drive?
Yes.
(42261)

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