Jason
Q.Did the image come from the original PXI controller (the 8186)?
A. Yes, I had a functional orig w2k 8186 which I imaged for backup purposes (Trueimage sw).
Q.Also, did the external hard driver come from another PC or is it brand new?
A.The external is a SONY USB2 HD. I restored the orig PXi image onto the USB HD with the intent to boot w2k from the USB.
However, I have come to find a pretty definitive answer from Microsoft that Win2000/XP/Vista are not bootable from USB. I can boot the 8186 from a USB cd or flash key/stick, but the USB os must be linux, or W98 or older, just like a boot floppy.