Hardware crash followed by XP Pro boot problems
From: Voyageur (Voyageur_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 08/30/04
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Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 11:55:07 -0700
My system:
XP Pro, 1 fixed + 2 removable hard drives - all partitioned, and labelled
as follows:
Fixed drive (FD) - C: Windows, D: Software, E: Data
Removable HD #1 (R1) - F:Storage 1, I:Backup
DVD/CD-RW - G:
Removable HD #2 (R2) - H:Storage 2
My poweer pack died while the computer was running. Power pack has been
replaced. Harware runs again. However........
Now when I turn on computer, the system cannot find a boot device. I insert
the XP Pro CD whereupon the system tries to reinstall XP. I say OK let's
reinstall XP and it installs all the drivers then moves to the partition page
where it shows all the drives with all the partitions correctly labelled with
the names I gave them, but all the drive letters are wrong.
Also. the first disk listed is not the FD but one of the removable disks.
Then comes the FD, then the other removable disk.
Also the system has allocated the wrong letters to the partitions (so now
the Windows Partion letter is E:).
The first disk in the list is a removable disk (drive Id 1 - meaning
removable HD ? ) and the first partition on that disk has the letter C: and
the second partition is lettered H:
The next in the list is the FD (drive Id 0, meaning Fixed disk ? ) with
incorrect partition letters D: E: + F:
The final disk (drive ID 1 - meaning removable HD ? ) has the partition G:
If I remove both R1 & R2 then turn on the computer, it still requires the CD
in the CD drive but XP will load normally without trying to reinstall XP, and
without me selecting to boot from the CD - in other words , it asks me to
click any key to boot from the CD. If I do nothing it seems to be finding
partiton C: on the FD and loading from there. If I remove the CD and try
this, it starts looking for the boot record again.
Once XP has loaded (without the removable disks) if I check in Explorer the
drives are correctly lettered, but of course the removeable drives are not
available.
Question 1: How can I sort out the partition letters so XP can find C:
Windows when it tries to boot and with the removable disks in place without
reinstalling XP.
Question 2: How can I get it to boot from the fixed HD without requiring the
CD in the drive, even though it does not seem to use it. (I have checked the
boot sequence in the BIOS and the order is FD, CD, Floppy)
Question 3: If there is no answer for Questions 1 and 2 above, if I chose to
reinstall Windows over the Windows partition on the FD - even though it is
currently labelled Windows but with the wrong letter E:, and with all the
other removable drives present, can I later change all the Drive letters back
to the origianals so that my original paths are kept intact?
I am concerned that if I install Windows in the correct partition on the FD,
but while it is displaying the wronlg letter, not only will XP not install
properly but it will destroy the data in the original E: partition.
Sorry about the length of this. Can someone please get me up and running
again. This is driving me mental!
Thanks in advance for any help
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