Re: Is it possible to change the drive letter on the system drive?


"Robert Williams" <RobertWilliams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message
news:8937218B-C080-47B6-8D4F-E343C9D867B9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is similar to, but slightly different from a previous post. In a
newly-built system, with two drives (one IDE and one SATA), I installed a
virgin copy of WinXP Pro on an SATA drive, but Windows configured this as
the
I drive (the IDE drive has four partitions, and I have two CD drives).
If I
disconnect the other drive, is there any easy way, short of
re-installing, to
change the WinXP Pro configuration information from I to C (i.e., through
the
Recovery Console or some other utility)? As has already been stated, the
normal drive re-assignment procedure doesn't work on the system drive. I
was
several hourss into software installation when I discovered this, and I
would
prefer not to re-install everything if I can avoid it, but if no one has
any
better suggestios, I will bite the bullet and do a complete
re-installation.


"Brian A." <gonefish'n@afarawaylake> wrote in message
news:exscJA6tHHA.4440@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I see no mention of where you attempted to re-assign the drive letter.
What are you referencing as "the normal drive re-assignment procedure"?

Click Start > Run, type in: diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.
Right click on a volume/partition and click "Change drive letter and
paths..." in the popup menu.
Click the "Change" button.
Make sure "Assign the following drive letter" is selected.
Select an available drive letter in the dropdown list.
You may need to juggle letters to make available the letter you want to
use.
--

Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User }
Conflicts start where information lacks.
http://basconotw.mvps.org/

Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375


(In another later message by Robert using a slightly different subject-line,
he states...)

"Robert Williams" <RobertWilliams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message news:65989EB5-6FC5-47DF-A308-441E23CE0B8C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This is similar to, but somewhat different from a previous post. Just
installed a virgin copy of WinXPPro on a home-built computer with one SATA
and one IDE drive (with multiple partitions on the IDE drive). BIOS was
set to look for the SATA drive first; however, when the install on the
SATA drive had been completed, the system drive was designated as "I". If
I temporarily disconnect the IDE drive, is there a relatively easy way of
re-configuring the system to "C" without doing a complete re-install? The
standard Windows re-assignment procedure can't be used on a system drive.
Can one use the Windows Recovery Console or some other utility instead? I
was several hours into software installation before I noticed this
problem. I would like to avoid doing a complete re-installation, but if
no one has any good suggestions, I will probably bite the bullet and
re-install everything.


Robert:
I really don't know at this point of any practical way you can change the
boot/system HDD drive letter from I to C without performing a fresh install
of the OS onto the SATA HDD. Disk Management will not permit a change in the
drive letter assignment along those lines in this instance. Setting the
BIOS, as you did prior to undertaking the XP install, to select the SATA
HDD as first in the boot priority order before the PATA HDDs would not, in
itself, have created the system environment to establish the SATA HDD as the
C: drive. During the installation the OS would have recognized the current
drive assignment letters of your PATA HDDs including the one designated as
C: so that your SATA HDD would have been given a drive assignment letter
following the last one assigned to your other drives (including your optical
drive(s). Thus it received the I: designation.

Your only recourse would be to undertake a fresh install of the OS onto that
SATA HDD. In doing so it would be best to temporarily disconnect all other
storage devices from the system during the install process, including your
printer should it contain memory card readers that may have drive letters
assigned to them.

Now I should add that there have been some published hacks that supposedly
let one get around this situation by editing the registry, Frankly, it's
never worked for us.
Anna


.