How can I transfer my XP operating systems to my external hard drive?

Boot the computer with the boot disk. Insert in the boot disk and then restart your computer. When the computer is up and then running, change your drive to the external drive letter. You may have to try several times but then type the command d: and then e: and so on until you just come to the external dive. You can then check the contents of your drive by just typing dir. Your motherboard will then need to be very much able to read the USB drive outside of your Windows if it can't and you do not see the drive listed than you will not be able to just install Windows from an external drive. Run a program called smartdrv.exe. This program will then need to be downloaded and then saved to your external drive. Change to your directory where smartdrv.exe exists by typing the cd directory where the directory is the directory name. Type the smartdrv.exe and then smart drive will now run. Start your installing Windows. Change the directories to the Windows Install folder by just typing the cd Windows Install option or to wherever you just saved the Windows files. Go to the i386 folder by typing the cd i386. Type the winnt and then you will be taken to a screen that will start to just load Windows. Follow on the screen instructions.