For some special reasons, we may want to run Windows Server from an external hard drive. This tutorial will show you how to install or clone Windows Server to an external hard drive as portable Windows Server, mainly including the following aspects:
Windows Server is a group of operating systems designed by Microsoft that supports enterprise-level management, data storage, database applications, and communications, this means that Windows Server is used in enterprise environments in almost all cases. Each Windows server edition corresponds to a desktop edition of Windows, for example, Windows Server 2008 is the server edition of Windows Vista. Because Windows Server and Windows Desktop share a code base, many of the same functions can be performed on both. You can download and install programs such as browsers and picture editors on Windows Server. Windows Server also includes many of the Windows infrastructure programs, such as Notepad. Compared with desktop operating systems, Windows server operating systems have the following characteristics:
✦ 1. Windows Server supports more memory
✦ 2. Windows Server uses cpu more efficiently
✦ 3. Allow more network connections
✦ 4. Background tasks and services take precedence
So far, Windows Server has released the following versions:
| Version | Codename | Kernel version number | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2000 | NT5.0 Server | NT 5.0 | 2000-02-17 |
| Windows Server 2003 | Whistler Server, .NET Server | NT 5.2 | 2003-04-24 |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 | Release 2 | NT 5.2 | 2005-12-06 |
| Windows Server 2008 | Longhorn Server | NT 6.0 | 2008-02-27 |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Server 7 | NT 6.1 | 2009-10-22 |
| Windows Server 2012 | Server 8 | NT 6.2 | 2012-09-04 |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Server Blue | NT 6.3 | 2013-10-17 |
| Windows Server 2016 | Threshold Server, Redstone Server | NT 10.0 | 2016-10-13 |
| Windows Server 2019 | Redstone Server | NT 10.0 | 2018-11-13 |
| Windows Server 2019 | Sun Vallery Server | NT 10.0 | 2021-11-5 |
Windows To Go (WTG) refers to installing Windows to a USB drive and then running Windows from the USB drive, also commonly known as Portable Windows. After installing Windows to a USB drive you can take the USB drive anywhere and start Windows installed on the USB drive on any computer, so Windows Server To Go refers to installing Windows Server to a USB drive and then booting Windows Server from the USB drive.
However, when we try to install Windows Server to a USB drive, we will find that Microsoft does not allow us to install Windows Server to a USB drive. Is there a way to install Windows to an external disk drive? The answer is yes. This tutorial will show you how to use Hasleo WinToUSB to install or clone Windows Server to an external hard drive and then run Windows Server from the external hard drive.
Step 1. Download, install and run WinToUSB, click the 
button, then click the 
button and select the Windows Server installation ISO file from the open dialog box.
Step 2. WinToUSB scans for and lists installable operating systems in the Windows installation ISO. Please select the edition of Windows you want to install, then click "Next".
Step 3. Select the external hard drive in the drop-down list. If the external hard drive is not correctly recognized by WinToUSB, you need to click the 
button for the program to recognize the external hard drive.
Step 4. After you select the external hard drive, a pop-up will appear asking you if you want to format it to continue, select the partition scheme you want to use and click "Yes" to format it. If you choose "Keep the existing partition scheme", you need to manually prepare the partitions on the external hard drive before this step, and here is the user guide on how to manually prepare partitions for Windows To Go.
Step 5. After clicking "Yes", WinToUSB begins formatting. Please wait until that format operation is complete.
Step 6. After successfully formated the external hard drive, select the installation mode, then click "Next".
Step 7. After clicking "Next", WinToUSB begins installing Windows to the external hard drive.
Step 8. It takes some time to install. After installation restart the computer and change BIOS to boot from your external hard drive.
Step 9. Windows normal installation starts up and you have to complete all the installation steps. After that, you can install programs, copy files, etc.
Step 1. Download, install and run WinToUSB on the Windows Server OS you want to clone, click the 
button, then click "Next".
Step 2. Select the external hard drive in the drop-down list. If your external hard drive is not correctly recognized by WinToUSB, you need to click the button for the program to recognize the external hard drive.
Step 3. A pop-up will appear asking you if you want to format it to continue, select the partition scheme you want to use and click "Yes" to format it. If you choose "Keep the existing partition scheme", you need to manually prepare the partitions on the external hard drive before this step, and here is the user guide on how to manually prepare partitions for Windows To Go. Please note that the "Keep the existing partition scheme" option is valid only for an external disk.
Step 4. Select the boot partition and system partition from the partition list, the selected partitions will be marked as red, then click "Next".
Step 5. After clicking "Next", WinToUSB begins cloning Windows to the external hard drive.
Step 7. It takes some time to clone. After the clone is successfully completed, restart the computer and change BIOS to boot from your external hard drive.
This tutorial introduces you to Windows To Go and explains in detail how to install or clone Windows Server operating system to an external hard drive as portable Windows Server. Follow these simple steps, you can install Windows Server to an external hard drive and then run Windows form the external hard drive.
As a professional Portable Windows Creator, you can not only install or clone Windows Server to an external hard drive as portable Windows Server with Hasleo WinToUSB, but also use it to help you install or clone Windows desktop operating system to an external hard drive as portable Windows.
