install winxp sp3 on USB?

[artoodeeto]

Anyone ever tried installing windows XP SP3 (or SP1 or 2 for that matter) on a USB flash drive? There's a lot on the internet about installing from a flash drive, but not much about installing TO a flash drive.
I might be putting together a system on the cheap, and I'm trying to figure out if I can avoid buying a real hard drive. I have a 16GB SDHC card and a USB2.0 reader, originally for my camera, but as I also have an 8GB card...I don't really *need* the 16GB card. I thought I'd use it as a hard drive for this system. All the system will do is boot up and display pdfs, so I'm not too concerned with speed. Still, if it doesn't stand a good chance of working or if it'll be neanderthal-slow, I'd probably just get a normal HD. Thanks!

[billygoat333]

why not go with a linux flavor?

[artoodeeto]

mostly because I'm (prepare yourself...) completely unfamiliar with linux. Also, I wanted to put the full version of Acrobat on this computer, rather than just the reader, and I only have the PC version of CS4. I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to Linux, I just don't know much of anything about it.

[x88x]

As long as it stays on that system (ie, no moving around to multiple systems) it should work fine. You will, however, want to do all the normal SSD optimizations to XP for, well, the same reasons you do it to a normal SSD.

EDIT:
....why do you need the full version of Acrobat if all you're doing is reading?

[artoodeeto]

As long as it stays on that system (ie, no moving around to multiple systems) it should work fine. You will, however, want to do all the normal SSD optimizations to XP for, well, the same reasons you do it to a normal SSD.

EDIT:
....why do you need the full version of Acrobat if all you're doing is reading?

heh, I wondered if someone would catch that. I have over 6 thousand music pdf files - far more than I feel like sitting down and cropping so the music staves fill as much of the screen as possible. My line of thought is if I have the full Acrobat on there, then as I open files to play them, if they need page cropping I can just do it then and there. Eventually, most if not all the files will be appropriately cropped and I won't have sat in front of the computer for days doing it.
Unless, of course, Acrobat reader can crop pages? I don't *think* it can, but I haven't used the plain reader in years.

One of the reasons for the SD card idea is so I can stick it back into my main computer and copy pdfs straight onto it. I wouldn't be using it to boot any other system, so from that standpoint it should be fine. I just wasn't sure if Windows would be a PITA about being installed on a USB drive...

[x88x]

As long as your MBB supports booting from USB the install shouldn't give you any troubles.