Analog-X64.

I follow your line of thought and agree Win7 ultimate is nice because things can be run in XP compatibiliy mode which should be the answer to older non-compliant programs.

What I don't grasp is cloning to program files to external drive.  Seems to me that registry pointers would be in conflict with the internal C: drive when opening an application. 

Example of what I don't grasp:  if you clone C: drive does it now act as a C:drive or does it still have its unique drive address?   If it retains its original drive designation, then how will would a program file on the cloned drive know to look for info on that drive and not the internal C: drive where pointers may be aiming?