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Hi all
I must have read a large number of threads in the forum on how to install the OS onto a USB-HDD.
I have an old laptop drive which has been gathering dust and thought it would be more useful to me instead of using even older USB flash drive 
One of many questions, I would like to know if W10 can read my drive natively if I format it to EXT2/3 ? If so, is this possible without having to install additional software?
Ideally I would like to share files between both OSes.
I doubt that W10 can read ext2/4 files. If you do install Puppy Linux in whatever partition you could always add a FAT32 or even a NTFS partiton on the end of the ext partition.to transfer files.
The other option is to use a frugalpup to install Puppy Linux, which will create a FAT32 boot partition. This can be resized with GPARTED.
How big is that drive and is it IDE or SATA?
I would recommend you format it as FAT32 - simply to get best compatibility between OSes.
How do you plan to connect it? Do you have a USB to SATA adapter? (Or USB to IDE?)
The external USB hard drive I use.
I have several partitions and different formats.
First one fat32 for small boot partition. boot loader is on it.
One ntfs formatted.
A couple formatted ext 3 or 4.
I have about 14 different Puppy versions, frugally installed on all of them, except the small first partition, used as a boot partition, where the boot loader is installed.
Grub4dos boot loader is used to boot them all.
Frugal installs do not care what format they are installed on.
Anything I want Windows to be able to access, I put on the partition formatted ntfs.
There is suppose to be support software that can be added to Windows OS, to let it access ext formats, but I have not tried to get it or use it.
https://www.howtogeek.com/112888/3-ways ... m-windows/
Note:
If the drive is a small one.
You could just make one partition formatted ntfs.
Frugal installs have no problem with that format.
But you will have to use save files, but they can be any size.
The things you do not tell us, are usually the clue to fixing the problem.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be older.
This is not what I expected 
Windows (or 'windoze' as how @mikewalsh says it, I always have a great laugh reading it- win-doze . Really, if you make me sit in front of a windows screen, I'd rather doze off 
) doesn't want any kind of competition, you know? So no support for anything that is not developed for windows
is provided. On the other hand, linux is 'gentle', it tries to support everything (although its also true that windows leads the desktop os world, so linux has no option except for supporting windows stuff ).
Now, I think this might have answered your question. But if you want a straightforward, then it is a clear 'no'! Even if it would, that too after installing some kinda driver, then it may not provide a complete support. On the other hand, linuxes provide a ≈'full support' of most windows stuff, so it would also support windows filesystems. Although many linuxes may not install on those partitions, but puppy is a bit different- puppy linux can be frugally installed to any kind of partition, in any directory in the partition too. I remember once installing puppy frugally to a NTFS external HDD (though the fate of HDD was not too good, still it had survived many years before as well).
I would just give you an advice, if you have some work on that HDD, backup the work first. Now, if your machine is old, and if it hangs, and if you too like me become impatient a lot and force shutdown by pressing shutdown button directly, then it is most likely that you after a certain amounts of shutdowns, destroy some work on you're HDD. Then don't say I didn't tell 
(for I still regret that nobody told me at 'that time').
**had a cry remembering that drive**
Regards
user1234
(Your well wisher)
PuppyLinux 
gives new life to old computers 
Thank you all for your replies 
It's a SATA-2 laptop 5400rpm drive in an external USB2 case presently. Manufactured in 2014 and only used for less than 1 year according to the tests.
I do have USB3 ports available to me, so once I get it working I will buy the USB3 case as it should give a better read/write speed(???)
So, I need to create a FAT32 partition for the boot loader first.
Then leave the rest as NTFS in order to view/write files between both OSes.
Ideally, I would have like to have had the FAT32, then EXT2/3 as it would save me from having to resize my PupSave file every now and again.
I might try the DiskInternals Linux Reader as it is freeware and I only need to copy files over from the drive to a PC.
Hahahahhaa after reading your message, I won't forget to "save my work"
Is there a definitive guide regarding the installation to a USB HDD?
There are so many threads present in the forum already. Everyone seems to have their own method of doing so.
Got it working following mikeslr thread in the Install section
I have tried the Diskinternals software. Didn't like it and uninstall it immediately.
I will try the other OpenSource options later on.
