Drive letter assignment in registry 1

[rvnguy]

I have encountered this problem on several machines, running WinXP, on a re-build or a HD replacement after a HD failure:

After the re-build or replacement the boot drive letter is something other than C: and as it is the boot drive one can not change the drive letter of the boot drive. I have tried disabling all other drives and booting to find the boot drive is "C" and re-booting to verfy then re-connecting the other drives only to find that the boot drive reverts back to other than "C".

What I want to know is if I can change this parameter through the registry and is so where this specific information is and possibly how many places and i suspect that I need to change both HD"0" and HD"1"? Secondly, can this be done while booted to this drive and will the new registry entries be invoked upon reboot or must it be done through some other means i.e. "repair console" or other.

If someone might know this specific information I would greatly appreciate a reply.

Thank You

 

[wolluf]

Just make sure you install the replacement/rebuild with just the new hard drive and optical drive you're installing from connected - no other hard drives, zip drives etc. XP will then definitely go on C: (assuming after you just create one partition and install into it, or if you create > 1 partition during install you choose to install into C.

I don't really understand why you're having problems if replacing hard drive - as presumably you remove failed drive first (unless there are other hard drives/zip drives - any thing that can 'steal' the C: drive letter, still connected in the machine).

 

[bcastner]

This will change the drive letter. It is doubtful your XP installation will work afterwards, however:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...rt/kb/articles/Q223/1/88.ASP&NoWebContent=1#2

 

[Nelviticus]

The reference to the boot partition's drive letter appears in dozens of places in the registry. It really isn't possible to get them all - you may think you've done it and things may seem to work, but it will come back and bite you in the end.

What you need to do is as wolluf suggested - when you install Windows, make sure that all hard drives are disconnected apart from the one you're trying to install to. This is because the installation program automatically assigns drive letters to all the partitions that it finds, but at that stage you can't choose which letter it gives to which partition. If it happens to call the one you're trying to install to "D" then you're stuck with it and that partition will always think that it's "D". Trying to change it to "C" after the installation is asking for trouble (I'm talking from experience).

Regards

Nelviticus

 

[rvnguy]

Thank You bcastner for the link.

This was helpful and I should have found it myself, so thank you for the effort. If this happens again I will try it. What I have had to do up to now was to make a temp install on a spare drive which becomes drive "?" (not "C") then making sure this is the master(HD "0"). i can then reassign the actual permanent installation drive as "C". Shut down re-jumper/connect the perm drive as HD "0" (the prim IDE ch last drive connector). alot of swapping & stuff. If the MS solution works this would save much hassel.

Again thank you