Using an external hard drive for my work laptop?

[crazypraveen]

Right now I have a very capable gaming PC and a laptop I use for work. I have a second job that I want to do after hours while staying in the office during my first job (I read technical papers while working the second job).

So I realized it would be quite risky to ask my IT support to install software needed to work my second job, on my 1st job's work laptop (provided by my company).

Instead of buying a new laptop entirely just for the second job that I have to take to work every day, is there any way I can boot a separate OS from an external harddrive using my work laptop and not get caught doing it?

This would save me a lot of money, and the headache of having to use a second laptop.

[mfenn]

If you're doing something where your goal is to "not get caught" then you probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place. Even if you brought your own laptop to work, connecting it to the network is very likely against company policy.

[crazypraveen]

Originally Posted by mfenn

If you're doing something where your goal is to "not get caught" then you probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place. Even if you brought your own laptop to work, connecting it to the network is very likely against company policy.

I work my standard hours as required from 8-5. From 5 onwards I can either go home or learn more to make myself a better employee.

All I'm doing is using their wifi network to work my second job (which has nothing to do with my first one) while I learn more.

I don't need a lesson on ethics, if I wanted that I would've gone to another forum.

[frozentundra123456]

Originally Posted by crazypraveen

I work my standard hours as required from 8-5. From 5 onwards I can either go home or learn more to make myself a better employee.

All I'm doing is using their wifi network to work my second job (which has nothing to do with my first one) while I learn more.

I don't need a lesson on ethics, if I wanted that I would've gone to another forum.

Whatever you are reading, cant you do it from your home (make PDFs and put on a flash drive or access the company network via a secured VPN) and use your own computer for your second job. Like the previous poster, I would strongly expect that it is against company policy to use their network for private gain, even if it is after hours and does not interfere with you whatever you do for that company.

[crazypraveen]

Originally Posted by frozentundra123456

Whatever you are reading, cant you do it from your home (make PDFs and put on a flash drive or access the company network via a secured VPN) and use your own computer for your second job. Like the previous poster, I would strongly expect that it is against company policy to use their network for private gain, even if it is after hours and does not interfere with you whatever you do for that company.

I typically stay from 5-7PM at my first job to read & do calculations. If I came home and then started working my second job, I would be working until 10-11PM.

If I started working my second job at 5PM, I would be done at 8-9PM which means a lot for me.. those extra 2 hours can be used for sleeping, gym, or relaxation.

If I'm done at 10-11 I just go straight to bed.. no way to live.

I work for a really small company with only 1-2 IT guys and they aren't the type of people to go looking at internet history. Even if they did, there's no way they could trace it to a random laptop that's using their WIFI.

[Billb2]

If you owned the company......

[UaVaj]

Originally Posted by crazypraveen

I don't need a lesson on ethics, if I wanted that I would've gone to another forum.

you are an adult making decision.

if you have access the bios of the laptop. yes - you can boot and run another OS from the external harddrive. and have zero affect on the laptop's internal harddrive.

as for your IT guys. if they were smart enough. they could track the packets coming from your laptop's mac address. as for using the data/history on the laptop's drive to prove your undoing. that be impossible becuase that internal drive will have no record. any record will be in your external drive. unless you get caught red handed.

not worth it.

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by crazypraveen

I work for a really small company with only 1-2 IT guys and they aren't the type of people to go looking at internet history. Even if they did, there's no way they could trace it to a random laptop that's using their WIFI.

Again, if you're doing something where you're seriously thinking about the likelihood and consequences of getting "caught," then you probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

[frozentundra123456]

Originally Posted by mfenn

Again, if you're doing something where you're seriously thinking about the likelihood and consequences of getting "caught," then you probably shouldn't be doing it in the first place.

Yea, did not understand his reply to my post either. Why cant he take home work from his first job to do whatever it is he is doing to "improve himself" while working his second job from home. Private companies may be more lenient or (probably) even more strict, but I used to work for the federal government, and I am sure anything done from the workplace for one's own private gain would be strictly forbidden whether or not it interfered with ones work.

[crazypraveen]

I can only charge time for work if I'm reading AT work. My supervisor said I can't just go home and read because then I could just bullshit my way through and nobody would be the wiser.

Thus, I need to be chargeable for a certain amount of time and that time cannot come from me relaxing at home. It has to be done at work. Hence, my thread.

[frozentundra123456]

Originally Posted by crazypraveen

I can only charge time for work if I'm reading AT work. My supervisor said I can't just go home and read because then I could just bullshit my way through and nobody would be the wiser.

Thus, I need to be chargeable for a certain amount of time and that time cannot come from me relaxing at home. It has to be done at work. Hence, my thread.

So what you are really saying is you want to get paid for being at work while doing your second job???

[BrightCandle]

In terms of doing this just bare in mind you'll get near native performance from eSata if your laptop has it. I found eSata to perform surprisingly well with an external case + SSD. If you are stuck with USB2 it'll be quite sluggish and USB3 will improve but not reach eSata performance.

You could also do this using a flash drive, Windows can be made to run from one nowadays and Linux has been doing so for years. Any of these solutions will allow you to boot up another installation on a machine at reasonable performance without touching the original OS. You will however in all cases need some level of access to the bios to be able to change the boot device temporarily or at least set the boot device.

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by frozentundra123456

So what you are really saying is you want to get paid for being at work while doing your second job???

Winner winner chicken dinner!