Windows XP on external hard drive?

I found an old (from 2002 or 2003) Medion notebook in the bulky waste. It works, but when removing the hard drive, the previous owner threw away the cable for the hard drive. That's why I can't install a new one. I wanted to ask if you can install Windows xp on an external hard drive.

Should go, but I wouldn't.

Why not?

Should work if the external drive can be set as bootable in the BIOS. However, XP in the network with the Internet is extremely insecure, because Microsoft has not been "happy" with security patches for a long time. This can also cause problems for other computers in the network if anything damaging occurs.

If XP is excluded from the Internet (can be set in e.g. Fritz boxes), that would be ok.

What do you want with the old thing? Even a new laptop from 2019, 2020, which is sold for 100 euro at Media Markt, is technically better than this old thing there. You can collect 100 euro quickly, even as a poor eater.

What kind of cable? Usually the old plate is removed and the new one is plugged in, even with my win98 laptop

I have a modern Pc, I just make old games that work because that's not why I'm looking for xp notebooks. Although I have 6 xp notebooks, only that has a good graphics card. Of course, I don't want to use it on the internet.

Which cables are you talking about? Do you mean the ATA flat cable? You're sure to find it at a flea market. Or ask about e-bay classifieds. There are still some lying in the closet. (If I saw the ad I could have given the cables). With SCSI it gets a bit more difficult.

If you really want to get the computer running again, it is sure to be a success to revive a PC for 0 euro, but as already mentioned several times, the result is no longer up to date.