Adding 2nd hard disk

[smash81]

Hello,
I would like to upgrade my machine and am adding a hard disk to it.
Initially i had partitions C and D on my drive.
Now when i add the second hard disk it automatically takes the second hard disk to be the D drive and the earlier D drive to be drive E.
I would like to know if there is a way of making sure that the new hard disk is taken as the E drive.
This is because i have some programs stored on my earlier D drive and they are becoming inaccessible.
Please help

 

[Comtech]

Why not just clone the new E: to D: then you can wipe E: and use it for other things (a dual boot system with Linux comes to mind ) Cheers,
Jim

http://members.cnx.net/reboot/

 

[alfonsg]

how about changing the drive name via the control panel ?

 

[DumTech]

Re: the Control Panel suggestion... You can also just right click on My Computer and choose Properties. Then pick the Device Manager tab. Click the + next to Disk Drives (or just double click), select the 2nd drive and click the Properties button (or again, just double click the 2nd drive). Then pick the Settings tab. Under the Reserved driver letters section, set the start and end drive letter (both) to E:. When you restart, the 2nd drive should be assigned E: and you should see the original D: as D: again.

Hope this helps.

 

[ankan]

To solve this problem u should know how the system assigns drive letter to the drives. Here's how:
First of all the primary partitions in the primary master disk is given a drive letter (C,D,...). This is follwed by the primary partitions in the secondary master disk. Then comes the turn of the logical partitions in the primary master disk, followed by the logical partition in the primary slave disk, followed by the logical partitions in the secondary master disk, and lastly the logical partitions in the secondary slave disk.
This is the general case (with 4 HDD connected).

In your case, you already have a primary master disk. The simplest thing would be to have no primary partition in the second drive and add it in any of the slots available. But this will make your second HDD unbootable. But that should not pose any problems to you.

In case your system does need a primary partition for all HDD connected, you will have to hide the primary partition.

Another way is to use a software like PowerQuest MagicMover that changes any previous references to old drives (D to their new locations/drive (E. Even the demo versions can do this and you can do it before the evaluation time expires. You will have to search the net for a download to this and read the instructions carefully before you proceed. But again for this to work effectively, you should not have already installed any new programs in any of the drives other than C: (i.e if u have already connected the new HDD). And in case you have, you'll have to uninstall them before proceeding.

Do let us know what you did.

Bye.
Ankan.

 

[Howi]

Ankan is correct - the HDD you added must have been used in another comp unless YOU fdisked it with a primary partition.
remove primary partition and re fdisk it as a secondary partition and create a new logical drive within this partition.
the system will then allocate drive letter E to it leaving your C: and d: drives as tey were.

 

[smash81]

Thank you very much guys.I really appreciate your help.I will try out all these solutions and see how it goes.Thank you very much.

 

[rtshort]

Just my 2 cents worth, but I thought the physical drives always took "C" for the "Primary Drive" and "D" for the "Secondary Drive". I didn't think it could be changed unless by software. Every day above ground is a GOOD DAY!!!