Changing drive letter

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  • Start date Start date
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Art

I just installed a new 80 gb drive. It keeps showing up
as drive G. How can I change it to drive C? I keep
getting message XP cannot change a bootable drive when I
try from inside XP. All the software on the drive keeps
looking for C drive. Thanks if anyone can help...
 
Drive Letters Change Unexpectedly When You Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;326683&Product=winxp

You'll have to physically disconnect whatever drive is shown as the current C: drive,
perform a "clean install", then reconnect that drive.

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except for you mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

1. Open your BIOS and set your CD Drive as the first bootable device.

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

7. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I just installed a new 80 gb drive. It keeps showing up
| as drive G. How can I change it to drive C? I keep
| getting message XP cannot change a bootable drive when I
| try from inside XP. All the software on the drive keeps
| looking for C drive. Thanks if anyone can help...
 
- Change Disk Drive Letters

First you must remember that you CANNOT change the letter for the

boot drive if it contains the PAGEFILE.SYS (swap file) and/or HIBERFILE.SYS(hibernate file).

To move pagefile.sys use Control Panel | System | Advanced tab | Settings

under Performance | Advanced tab again | Virtual Memory and CHANGE

button. set the drive you want to move FROM to NO Paging File and click on SET.

set the drive you want to move TO and click SET.

To turn off page file, same as above, but select No Paging file and then click the SET button

To disable hiberfile.sys use Control Panel | Power Options Hibernate tab.

THEN REBOOT and Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Computer Management | Disk

Management under Storage, then RIGHT click on the drive letter to change

and select the Change Letter option.

THEN following the first procedure set the PAGEFILE.SYS back to the

drive it was on originally.

XP automatically adjusts the registry for the drive letter changes.



REMEMBER the drive letter you want to use MUST be available and not already assigned to another drive. just change it first.



(e-mail address removed)



I just installed a new 80 gb drive. It keeps showing up
as drive G. How can I change it to drive C? I keep
getting message XP cannot change a bootable drive when I
try from inside XP. All the software on the drive keeps
looking for C drive. Thanks if anyone can help...
 
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