Installing Win7 to external hard drive (eSata/USB) in Thinkpad SL 510

[golemus]

Hey. Do you know if there is any way (without disk cloning tweaks) to install OS to external hard drive in Thinkpad SL 510?

I tried it first with eSata. I have USB/eSata dock (Deltaco). The disk is visible in Win7 partitioning utility but it says "Windows cannot be installed to Disk 1 Partition 1". Then I used USB cable and same error, although the error details were different.

For eSata it complained something like check from BIOS that the disk is bootable. The BIOS doesn't even show the disk when it is connected through eSata, although windows partitioning utility shows it. The BIOS does recognize the hard disk when it is connected through USB, but the installer just says that installation to USB disk is not possible.

The external disk works fine with both cables when you boot from laptops internal hard disk.

For me it seems that Lenovo SL 510 does not support booting from eSata and Win7 does not support installing to USB.

1. Is there about to come support for eSata booting for this Laptop?   I just installed fresh BIOS flash update (I think it was 9/2010) and the problem exists.

2. Is there some way to install Win7 to the USB hard drive?

Thanks.

[golemus]

Bump. Lenovo stuff, please reply.

Is there some way for eSata booting or is it going to be supported in future BIOS update? Please, please please implement this, it would make life sooo much easier for testing, I could have different operating systems in different hard disks.

[golemus]

Maybe if I put more descriptive topic somebody would reply it ...

I was not able to install Windows 7 to eSata drive and I suspect that the problem is that SL510 is unable to boot from eSata drive. Is it so, or is there some other problem?

If it is not able to boot, will eSata boot be included in some future BIOS update? I really wish that you would add eSata boot support, it would make the machine sooo much more versatile ...

The connector is actually eSataP, I suppose this shouldn't make any difference...? 

Btw.. BIOS doesn't even recognize the disk model but Win7 installer sees it.

[golemus]

I took a picture of my BIOS, I think there might be bug in the firmware that prevents booting...?

Aa btw... model is Lenovo SL510 type 2847 Q4G SN XXXXXX 10/02. I updated recent BIOS v 1.41 09/2010, and the problem exists.

[img]http://koti.kapsi.fi/~aegonox/lenovo-thinkpad-sl510-bios-bug-maybe.jpg[/img]

Moderator Note: Serial number removed for your privacy.

[golemus]

Still waiting for official answer. Could some moderator maybe do a bug report for the firmware development team, if the issue is not something else...?

[Maliha Community Moderator]

You can send a request to lenovo:- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/product.do?template=%2Fonlineassistant%2FsubmitAQuestion....

See although there is lenovo presence on the forum, but the forum is not an official channel to contact support.

[golemus]

Hey do you know that should all Thinkpads support booting from eSata drive...?   I tried to install Win7 to eSata drive but Win7 installer says it is not possible and BIOS does not recognize the hard drive. BIOS just shows ASCII gibberish in the boot startup order menu (see link below):

http://koti.kapsi.fi/~aegonox/lenovo-thinkpad-sl510-bios-bug-maybe.jpg

My model is Thinkpad SL510 (yeah, I know it has an own discussion but nobody replied to my message there). Do you think that there is a bug in the BIOS or the computer just does not support eSata booting...? If there is a bug, how can I do a bug report. Is it enough to write to this forum so that firmware developers will get the info...?

[goretsky Community Moderator]

Hello,

Could the eSATA hard disk drive require additional supplemental power?  It could be that it is not receiving enough power to operate properly.  That is, of course, just a guess on my part.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[golemus]

nope, one of the esata drives had external power and one not, two different drives tested so that cannot be the problem

[pex81]

HI I Have the same problem, this laptop won't boot from esata.

I have update Bios to new version 1.43 but nothing

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-73435&medium=rs...