Studio 1555 - could you install a boot drive via eSATA?

Dear all,

I am intersted in buying one of the Studio 15 (1555) laptops.

I note that this laptop comes with an eSATA (e-SATA) port.

I would like to set up a bootable drive using a large external hard drive, using an OS (probably XP), different from the one inside the laptop, for a few specialised uses.

Would it be possible to install a boot disc (Vista or XP) via the eSATA port?

I have had a brief look at the manuals, but it's not clear if BIOS will allow you to specify an eSATA drive first in the boot device priority.  I note you can specify "modular bay HDD", but I'm not sure what this actually means. 

Thus does anyone know if they can boot via the eSATA?  Alternatively, has anyone actually tried and managed to install a boot drive via the eSATA?

Many thanks in advance