Windows 10 run with boot camp from a external hard drive

-- Parallels Desktop (PD) is an app that manages a VirtualMachine (VM): it is a large file. PD can run at the same time as the OSX.

-- Bootcamp is a separate partition on your harddrive in which your Windows runs: this can not run concurrently with OSX, you start either in the Windows partition or in the oSX partition; you make this partition and install Windows in it with the BootcampAssistant app. The BootcampAssitant can not make a Bootcamp Partition on an external disk afaik.

W10 on an external drive requires Windows-to-go licensing under Windows Enterprise. Macs do not support Windows Enterprise.

Please see Use Windows 10 on your Mac with Boot Camp - Apple Support, Boot Camp: Install Windows on your Mac (this is a bit older) and System requirements to install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp - Apple Support .

An installation disc with the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8, or Windows 8 Pro.You must use a single full-install Windows installation disc. You cannot use an upgrade version of Windows.

From Boot Camp 5.1: Frequently asked questions - Apple Support ,

Which versions of Windows work with Boot Camp 5.1?
Boot Camp 5.1 supports 64-bit, non-Enterprise versions of Windows 7, Windows 8.0, and Windows 8.1. This version of Boot Camp doesn't support Windows XP, Windows Vista, or any 32-bit version of Windows. Depending on your Mac, you may be able to use an earlier version of Boot Camp to work with other versions of Windows. For details, see the Boot Camp system requirements for Microsoft Windows.

I expected that: thanks for jumping in 🙂

If you do not have enough disk space, you either split the internal disk in half, one half per OS, or use an external drive to run OSX, and put the Windows OS on the full internal disk.

OSX can be installed on external USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt disks or SD Cards. 64Gb SD Cards are a wonderful alternative to cables/external SSD/HDD.

2015 Macs will support TB2, or USB3. FW800 is supported using a TB-to-FW adapter.

LexSchellings wrote:

I expected that: thanks for jumping in 🙂

No worries. Hopefully OP can get what they want. There are also replacement solutions for the PCIe flash to go up to 256/512Gb.

From MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) - Technical Specifications,

Storage1

• 2.7GHz - 128GB
  128GB PCIe-based flash storage
• 2.7GHz - 256GB
  256GB PCIe-based flash storage
• 2.9GHz
  512GB PCIe-based flash storage
  Configurable to 1TB flash storage.

I talked to apple customer care by the phone today and they were a little bit surprised and almost laughed if I was going to install BootCamp on external hard drive. I said I that on internal only and that was fine, because I think it's impossible to have it on external hard drive just because of security reasons - something can really go wrong if sth is not ok with usb cable.

Thunderbolt drives will support Windows, or a cloning solution can also be used to move an internal installation to an external disk.

Another approach that I use is to create a minimal C: with Windows OS (only). All my Applications are installed on a external FW800 disk which is X:. X: can move to any other machine which has Windows on it. C: on the internal disk can be re-installed at will if anything gets corrupted.

How is this done? I would love to know how to put windows on the internal SSD and have OS X on a SD card. We are a engineering firm that has Macbook Airs but run Windows for the software we have to use.