installing ffxi on a portable HDD

[Delson]

i know its possible, but would it work...

reason i ask, is i could take the game with me to a friends house lets say... and play it over there on his pc...

[Feba]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

yes and no.

You could install the game on the hard drive, but it would still need to be installed on every computer in order to put the proper registry information in the computer, which would also wipe your personal info from your FFXI files.

You could also convert your disks into .iso format, and then put them on the hard drive, and then install on other computers from the .iso, but that will take just as long as installing from the disks.

You could also install an OS to the hard drive, and basically have your entire computer be portable, but I'm not sure if Windows can be boot from USB, or used by swapping the hard drive to other computers, like that.

[InuTrunks]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Windows can boot from portable drives, it depends if the Bios allows it or not.

[Feba]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Then there's your answer. I can boot my computer from USB, so chances are any computer that can play FFXI will be able to as well.

[Aeni]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Windows can boot from portable drives, it depends if the Bios allows it or not.

The problem is the registry information and the fact that Hardware ID plays some kind of role with how you're being connected through encryption to SE's servers. Basically, every install on each PC has their own "configuration" and the trick is to be able to alter this if you're going to swap your HDD out into another PC and make it work.

That and driver optimization as well as settings for the different graphic/audio setup.

[HairdewX]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

The problem is the registry information and the fact that Hardware ID plays some kind of role with how you're being connected through encryption to SE's servers. Basically, every install on each PC has their own "configuration" and the trick is to be able to alter this if you're going to swap your HDD out into another PC and make it work.

That and driver optimization as well as settings for the different graphic/audio setup.

Interesting...

On the consoles it may be different. I can swap my 360 hard drive on my friend's 360 and still play FFXI.

[InuTrunks]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

I think you guys are forgetting one thing, windows registry auto updates it self when a program runs.... There's no problem from installing FFXI onto a portable drive and then using it on another computer. I've taken my drives from one computer (to my new upgraded computer with a fresh XP install jsut fine. ( I don't install games on my windows partition, only windows, and essential programs).

[Aeni]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

I think you guys are forgetting one thing, windows registry auto updates it self when a program runs.... There's no problem from installing FFXI onto a portable drive and then using it on another computer. I've taken my drives from one computer (to my new upgraded computer with a fresh XP install jsut fine. ( I don't install games on my windows partition, only windows, and essential programs).

I did this before with FFXI ... by upgraded, did you mean gutted? Because I went from one system, totally gutted/upgraded every single thing and Windows refused to acknowledge I had anything installed (FFXI was on another partition) and I had to reinstall FFXI all over again as everything I tried didn't work (It just produced an "ID" error which pointed to my hardware configuration)

[Feba]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Aeni; if you're booting from the drive, that shouldn't be a problem, since Windows and the registry would be on the hard drive.

And InuTrunks, it's been shown before that just moving FFXI files to another computer won't work, you have to physically install it on any PC you wish to use it on.

[InuTrunks]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Works fine for me >.>

io don't have to reinstall FFXI after I reinstall XP ever.

edit: and yes, I mean gutted. I only move HDD's w2hen I rebuild my system, and even then, I normally get a new HDD for windows anyway.

[Shadowneko]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

Interesting...

On the consoles it may be different. I can swap my 360 hard drive on my friend's 360 and still play FFXI.

You're forgetting that Xbox360s all have the same standardized hardawre...basicly they are all cut from the same mold with the same chips, memory and video card. PCs are not like this and have thousands of posible differences in hardware from one PC to the next. Example: PC#1 may have and Nvdia video card while PC #2 has an ATI video card, ETC.

The differences in hardware between different machines can cause Windows not to work when the HDD is swapped....

[InuTrunks]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

"The differences in hardware between different machines can cause Windows not to work when the HDD is swapped...."

All versions of windows have basic SW drivers for all types of hardware.

[Aeni]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

All versions of windows have basic SW drivers for all types of hardware.

That's assuming you're not using the manufacturer's own drivers (which you should) You're probably getting subpar performance out of your hardware then. For example, using Detonator drivers versus the Window's "certified" drivers which are practically outdated out of the box.

The only way I can see where you can get the hard drive to work is if you're moving from one XP machine to another. The secondary machine you will have to choose to import the drive (in other words, you're not actually installing from scratch, but keeping everything the same and migrating to another machine) I think that is what you're doing, but a storage drive does not have that option.

[Shadowneko]

Re: installing ffxi on a portable HDD

All versions of windows have basic SW drivers for all types of hardware.

Also you forget about Xp's quirk if you swap to a system with a totally differnt motherboard....I men it could yell. die and refuse to boot beaces of system bonding...