How to set up a 'TOTALLY' separate "pc" on an external drive?

Question

I need to set up a separate Windows pc but without purchasing a separate hardware/pc.

Why you ask? I need to setup a separate website/blog/business and I don't want that on my main pc/laptops because I will be using a separate user name (company name based website). I am also running to the maximum limit on my power usage and physical space as I have a few pc scattered about.

I will be running this "pc" from my main windows workstation and although this workstation has windows (obviously) and office 365, Tor and VPN,
I do not want to use them as they all have a default saving f older and I need to keep my files separate.

All my PC are Windows and are all physically located in the same place. I have two routers - Virgin/Asus but the Asus is only connected to the Virgin to use its internet. The Asus is not properly setup yet so no pc connect to it because for some reason, they cannot link to the internet through it.

Reason I mentioned that is I also use Astrill VPN but it is not deployed centrally but on each pc locally (I need to use the Asus for that.) So until I resolve the Asus/VPN issue I will also have to use Tor on the external hard drive.

I am going to purchase a separate copy of Windows Pro, Office 365 to keep the activities separate.

With almost the same software duplicated on the external hard drive and the main pc, the question is how do I ensure that the right identity is using he right hardware so to say? None of my business files must be main pc. especially the excel files as they will track my busines expenses and I am notorious for my lapses in memory.

Initially I thought of using VMware but it is a hammer cracking a nut.

I need to separate all my business activities from my personal activities and this is the reason I am using this solution. Also I need a portable solution as I may be outside and an idea pops up and I have to use a colleagues/friends pc but not leave any footprints on their pc. In fact this is the main reason I am using this solution.

I am friendly with some guys and we are in the same line of business. Whilst we were together an idea popped into my head and I borrowed a friends pc and at that time have not learnt about the incognito page option in Chrome and also I was careless. Upshot of the reminiscence was that I lost the idea to the guy whose pc I borrowed.

We are still acquaintances but I need to be more careful. Retailing is a very thin margin business.

How can I crack this nut. I have been cracking my head on it. As I said, I will purchase Windows, MS Office and the other software I need but can I install Windows on a hard disk and carry it about so I can sprint into action as and when needed?

Since i got hacked a few years ago, I have learnt to use VPN, Security (Comodo) and Tor (I am using it now as I post.) and I need to keep my business activities separate because I got penalised by our HMRC for "ambiguous" expenditure classification hence the need for clear separation.

First Q is can this be done? If the answer is yes, my next Q is how? A detailed step by step will really be appreciated because I am not sure how you can install Windows on a hard disk, plug it in and then use that Windows instead of that of the hard disk.

Edit: I need to mention that my version of Windows 10 was originally a Windows 7 which came with my Z800 Workstation and it seems to be a Windows To Go. However since i did not know what it meant, i somehow activated the WTG and it seems that when activated, there is a "warning/concern" that says so and this warning/concern does not go until the "To Go" is "returned". During the phase it exibited this warning/concren I did not notice any restriction - a bit like the warning activate your copy of Windows I have been noticing on my laptop (which needs to be returned to seller as i cannot use a laptop where I am being seared by 50 degree temperatures [confirmed by newly purchased Infra Red reader and extemely uncomfortable room])

Any assistance will be appreciated.

Answer 1

According to your requirements, I think the best solutions for you it's to get decent external hard drive (preferably USB3 to feel it fast enough) and install there some Linux on it. Linux isn't a Windows and can start on any hardware and adjust itself at each boot to existent enviroment, so it can run virtually anywhere. If you want light weight but well supported Linux distribution and have no previous experience with Linux, I suggest you to install LinuxMint with XFCE desktop. If you sure that PC where you going to use your external hard drive is powerful enough you can try Kubuntu that have rich, nice desktop but require computer to be more recent. You can use either VMware or VirtualBox under Linux where you can keep you Windows. You can leave on external hard drive some space as NTFS partition so you can use external drive just as a storage that can be accessed from Linux and can be used just as regular external shared space (for example if there would be a case when you don't want to boot to Linux but need to access/store some files). This way you can care all your stuff with you and run it on demand on other PCs. Such solution won't leave any trace on "guest" PC where you running it and all your licenses(Windows, Office and etc) will be glued to your virtual machine. I'm pretty sure that over time you would load Windows VM only when you want to use some particular programs that non exist in Linux word since there so much programs that can replace windows apps easily.

Answer 2

Windows has some technical reasons as to why booting a "standard" version from USB is not possible. The key reason is that to boot from USB the system firmware must first enumerate devices, boot the system from the USB and then hand over control of USB devices to Windows. In doing so Windows typically will reset and initialise the USB root hub and other devices. This causes the device that Windows is booting from to "vanish". Windows does not like this and will crash. Hard

Microsoft has a way around this though and there is an edition of Windows that can boot from USB because it has been modified specifically to be able to do this.

That edition of Windows is called Windows To Go and it is available to Enterprise customers and only works with very specific USB sticks, not USB hard drives. What you essentially end up with is a Windows Live USB stick.

There are some guides on how to make your own Windows To Go stick without having an Enterprise edition of Windows or specific brands of memory sticks, e.g. HowToGeek, but I have not tried them and their licencing status may be questionable.

There would be nothing stopping you from having one of these USB sticks and an external hard drive as your "isolated" system.

Answer 3

The best option is VMWARE.

No external hard drive to carry around or forget.

At work we have a VMWARE server setup to allow us to connect to a virtual machine using only the web browser. When you close the browser your session is closed, and all traces of you being there are gone.

You are controlling a remote PC so your browsing history,cookies, and etc will all be on the remote PC and not on the borrowed laptop.

You would need to:

1. Dedicate a PC to VMware esxi
2. Get a cloud based computer to host it

Your internet upload speed will be a limiting factor.

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Another maybe is to carry a hard drive with you, and also add oracle virtualbox.

Then you can install virtualbox from the hdd, open your virtual machine and running it. You can stop the VM and uninstall virtualbox pretty quickly.

You will leave no traces of your work behind, and virtual box should pretty cleanly uninstall.

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Here's the issue with windows, you don't know what drivers you are going to need for the other persons hardware.

Sysprep won't be a viable option because it 1. Microsoft only allows it to work so many times before that copy of windows stops working. 2. It could take 30 minutes or longer to complete.(way to long for your needs)

If you had a compatible version of windows on the target PC you could copy their drivers, but it would take way too long and way too many steps.