Programs on External HDD?

Hi All,

I was wondering if there'd be any problems with running programs off an external HDD? I'm planning to get a Macbook Pro, but 160GB seems really small given than I plan to run OS X and Windows, both with programs and data. I'd like to keep as many of my programs on the primary drive as possible, but I foresee that filling pretty quickly...

So, my question is really two.. Firstly, can programs be installed on external drives? And if so, how will OS X react during the inevitable times when I'll boot up without the external connected? Will the programs on it simply be unavailable, will the OS crash without asking first, have a conniption, or simply flip me the bird?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

J

You can run programs from almost ANYWHERE. For most programs, "installing" is simply the act of copying the file to a common folder available to all users on the machine, namely "Applications". However, you can usually run the program's .app file from anywhere. This includes your external HDD.

The overall impact is that the program is only available when the external hard drive is plugged in, and of course, it will not show up in your Applications folder when you type the ever so convenient CMD+A.

Note that there are a FEW exceptions to this. Some programs do have installers and have a slightly more complex installation mechanism, but the above is a good 99% generalization.

Thanks for the advice