Installing Windows Vista on external HDD

Your suggestion of a VM like fusion only option, would that imply then that claims and instructions for installing a bootable Windows Vista onto an external USB 2 HDD which are alleged to work, are untrue? (this being my only possible option if all else fails with a FireWire 800 work-a-round)

Thoughts? ... I have plenty!

For now, I've had no choice but to install Vista on my MacBook Pro's internal drive using BootCamp, it will only be for the short term until I can find a way to do this on the external drive... it's also another worry to know that I may have problems with the 'boot table' after a few months, as you previously mentioned.

So setting up Windows Vista, updating, tweaking settings and getting it all working so that it functions properly to a half decent state is such a lengthy laborious tediously frustrating task with windows and taking huge amounts of time that it reminded me of just how much I have recently grown to hate windows and it now amazes me to think that until a year and a half ago I wouldn't move/budge from windows because of all the PC programs I had, but now I'm overwhelmingly relieved I made the jump and wonder why I put myself uneccessarily through so much pain and tourment.. well, even now windows isn't giving up without a fight as it continues to leave it's legacy because although I've now got it reasonably functioning under 'BootCamp' having installed Vista on my Mac's internal drive (for now), windows now bombards me with a routine of error messages upon boot-up stating:-

"Warning: Unrecognized partition table for drive 80. Please rebuild it using a Microsoft-compatible FDISK tool(err=4). Current C/H/S=266305/255/63 (hd0,2) Filesystem type is ntfs, partition type 0x7 chainloader /bootmgr"

it then repeats that error message several times during a few black screens (not the infamous blue screen) and on one occasion the error message refers to "(hidden sectors=0x1ee648800)" and there's plenty more double dutch info before it finally load Vista.. (I've only had Vista installed on BootCamp for a couple of day's now - since this reply) I'm considering trying my luck with installing Vista 64bit edition, having read that it is compatible on the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro's.

Meanwhile... with regard to using an external hard drive for a possible bootable Windows Vista over Firewire 800, I may have to consider the two 'close' alternative methods for doing this.. the first being the alleged workaround-fix shared on the internet for doing this using the USB 2 conection method, unfortunately this requires some time spent on editing some of the startup/installation sequence files which have to be extracted from the Windows installation '.iso' disk image using winiso, then edited and then inserted back into the '.iso' Windows install disk to burn onto a new DVD, trouble is this takes time which I don't have and it may only be a workaround solution for the very dull and bland looking windows XP version only which I don't want... Therefore I might have to go along with the more expensive option of having to invest in a slightly (actually a lot) more costly version of small portable external bus powered hard drive, the G-Tech G-Raid mini2 which has the inclusion of the eSATA interface making it a quad interface, therefore possibly enabling windows to boot from this as windows requires SATA connection for boot-ability. The only drawback for me personally with this second method is a). that I've already purchased the G-Drive mini1, b). the G-Raid mini2 is very costly, c). the mini2 is double the size being double the thickness and therefore not as tiny as the mini1 which you can squeeze into your MacBook Pro case's pocket, d). the mini2 will have a heavier battery drain having its two disks spinning instead of one like the mini1, and e). you have to have two cables connected between MacBook and mobile hard drive instead of one, one cable drawing the power from the Firewire 800 bus and the second cable transferring the data between the eSATA connection (if it works).

Alternatively.. Apple may save the day and at some point release a driver for BootCamp to enable Windows Vista 'Firewire 800 boot-ability support'. That would be very good! (but doubt that would ever happen with Apple's strange outlook on Firewire of late)

Or, G-Tech may put an eSATA connection interface/port on an updated version of the tiny, less power draining and more budget conscious G-Drive mini1 in the near future! (but that may be unlikely as well)

So, I'm not sure what to do at this moment.

maybe I'll look into the possibilities of Fusion at some point and also see if the Vista's install disk recognizes a 'SATA' linked external hard drive.. (using SATA port on the G-Drive mini2 external hard drive when I get this later and connecting to a SATA connecting 'ExpressCard 34' on the MacBook Pro, as windows has drivers for SATA drives).

Your suggestions for wanting to transfer from MacBook pro to Mac Pro is interesting, if you experience any problems using Disk Utility then I would consider using the impressive 'Super Duper' disk cloning software, however I'd imagine the Leopard installed on your MacBook Pro would have different drivers loaded unique to your MacBook Pro's devices and not your Mac Pro.. and I'm not to sure if there's possibly any issues (if any) over any unique OS X specific serial that normally relates/ties-in to the ID of hardware that it was shipped upon.