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My question... can I do both... install it on a laptop for a gig... and still have it on the external Hard Disk to run on my desk top at home for rehearsel or arranging or whatever?
OR... once you "install" it on your system is it no longer useable on the external hard disk?

Hi Will.
You'll be happy to hear that you can do any or all of the above.
There's no copy potection, or other gotchas, so you can customize the install as you need it.
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The most common things to do would be:

(for this discussion, X:\ represents the drive letter of your USB Drive)

1. Run it from the USB hard drive. For this, there's nothing much to do, just run x:\PG Music\Programs\Band-in-a-Box.exe

2. Install the program to the hard drive (1 GB), but not RealTracks (30GB) or RealDrums (5GB). For this, run the included installer. This installs BB to c:\bb and RealBand to c:\RealBand

3. Install the "whole thing" (36 GB). You could do that by simply dragging the whole x:\PG Music\Programs\BB folder (36GB) and x:\PG Music\Programs\RealBand to your hard drive, as c:\bb and c:\RealBand

4. "Roll your own" install. (Size as needed) You could drag the BB and RealBand folders, as in #3, but exclude the RealTracks and Drums folders completely , or after you've copied the whole thing to your c:\ drive, delete some of the RealTracks folders that you don't plan on using (from your C:\ drive, keeping the backup of them on your x:\ drive).

Have Fun!
Peter Gannon
PG Music Inc.