Help - bizarre drive letter problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter dave xnet
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dave xnet

Hello, I did an elected "repair" install, after some small problems
installing a wireless adaptor (Of course, I took a backup first)

The repair finished, but the boot partition drive letter had changed.
It used to be i:, now it was f: It would only boot in safemode.

I'm familiar with the MOUNTEDDEVICES registry key and put it back
as it was, however, it still only booted safemode.

I took a cursory glance in the registry, and find literally hundreds
of direct references to i:\ and hundreds to f:\.

Seems as if the repair changed some of the registry to relect the new
drive letter, but not all of it - and it's in critical area's
such as HKLM/software/classes.

Could anybody advise on a registy utlity that could do a
global change like this? Otherwise I'll just backout the
repair completely.

Thanks for any assitance.
Dave
 
Hi,

..........the boot partition drive letter had changed.

I don'tknow if it'll help you or not, but Partition Magic 8 has a drive
mapping utility that does such things as remap drive letters.


---==X={}=X==---

Jim Self

AVIATION ANIMATION, the internet's largest depository.
http://avanimation.avsupport.com

Your only internet source for spiral staircase plans.
http://jself.com/stair/Stair.htm

Experimental Aircraft Association #140897
EAA Technical Counselor #4562
 
Hi,

.........the boot partition drive letter had changed.

I don'tknow if it'll help you or not, but Partition Magic 8 has a drive
mapping utility that does such things as remap drive letters.


---==X={}=X==---

Jim Self

Thanks for the suggestion - however, drive letter
problem corrected.
I need a registry tool as I mentioned.
Dave
 
Hi again Dave,

.......I took a cursory glance in the registry, and find literally
hundreds of direct references to i:\ and hundreds to f:\.

That's pretty much what PM is doing, going into the registry and
changing all the references to drive letters to what you request.

I'll paste a little from PMs help section. If this isn't doing what
you're looking to have done, I'll ust go away.


About DriveMapper

When you create, delete, hide, and unhide partitions, your drive letters
can change, causing applications not to run because application
shortcuts, initialization files, and registry entries refer to incorrect
drives. DriveMapper is a wizard that lets you easily update drive letter
references.
Important: DriveMapper does not change drive letter assignments; it only
changes references to the drive letters, which are assigned by your
operating system.

You can run DriveMapper from the PartitionMagic main window. DriveMapper
also runs automatically if the following conditions are all met:

· You apply changes to your system that affect drive letter assignments

· You are running Windows 95 or Windows 98

· Your hard disk contains only FAT or FAT32 partitions

· You have no more than one CD-ROM drive and no more than one removable
drive.

If you are using Windows NT or Windows 2000/XP Professional as your only
operating system, we recommend using the Change Drive Letter operation (
Operation > Advanced > Change Drive Letter) rather than DriveMapper.
Change Drive Letter lets you permanently set the drive letters for your
partitions so that adding and removing partitions does not affect drive
letters. Note that if you merge or split partitions, drive letters will
change even if you are using Windows NT and the Change Drive Letter
operation.

If you have installed an alternative desktop on Windows 3.11 or Windows
95 with the desktop files residing on a different drive than the Windows
system files, DriveMapper may not be able to adjust your paths. Because
DriveMapper is a Windows program, it must have Windows loaded to run. If
the drive letter has been changed for the drive that holds your desktop
files, you may not be able to start Windows.

Using DriveMapper with Multiple Operating Systems

If you run multiple operating systems, you should reinstall applications
rather than use DriveMapper. The following issues make using DriveMapper
in a multiple operating system environment difficult and error-prone:

· Drive letter assignments are based on the file systems supported by an
operating system. If you do not put all FAT32, and NTFS partitions after
all FAT partitions, drive letters will change depending on the operating
system currently running, and DriveMapper may be unable to correctly
identify which changes should be made.

· Registry settings are changed for the current operating system only.
If you manually run DriveMapper from another operating system,
references in files will already be changed in the current operating
system and further changes will introduce errors in the other operating
systems.

· When DriveMapper is running, files contained in hidden partitions are
not updated. If you are using multiple primary partitions for different
operating systems, only the active primary partition may be visible.
Thus, only files in that primary partition will be updated.

Changing Drive Letters in the Correct Order

You must change drive letter in the correct order to avoid destroying
original references before they are used to make changes for other drive
letters.
For example, assume you have two partitions on your hard disk (a primary
partition assigned the drive letter C: and a logical partition assigned
D:) and a CD-ROM drive assigned E:. Suppose you create a logical
partition between C: and D:. The drive letter of D: changes to E:, and
the drive letter of E: changes to F:; however, references in certain
files continue to reflect the old drive letter assignments. Using
DriveMapper, you must first change the drive E: references to F: and
then change the drive D: references to E:.

When you make a change to your hard disk that adds drive letters, always
change the highest affected drive letter first (drive E: in the previous
example). Likewise, when you make a change to your hard disk that
decreases the number of drive letters, always change the lowest affected
drive letter first. Changing them in a different order changes source
references needed to modify other drive mappings.


Copyright © 1994-2002 PowerQuest Corporation. All rights reserved.


---==X={}=X==---

Jim Self

AVIATION ANIMATION, the internet's largest depository.
http://avanimation.avsupport.com

Your only internet source for spiral staircase plans.
http://jself.com/stair/Stair.htm

Experimental Aircraft Association #140897
EAA Technical Counselor #4562
 
Hi again Dave,

......I took a cursory glance in the registry, and find literally
hundreds of direct references to i:\ and hundreds to f:\.

That's pretty much what PM is doing, going into the registry and
changing all the references to drive letters to what you request.

I'll paste a little from PMs help section. If this isn't doing what
you're looking to have done, I'll ust go away.


About DriveMapper
<snip>

My apologies, never heard of drivemapper, it seems to be the
tool I need. I actually have PM 8 on a second PC and never noticed it
before.
I'll check it ut - thanks!
Dave
 
Hi again Dave,

......My apologies,

Not necessary. If I was offended I wouldn't have returned.

I've only used DriveMapper once, but it did the job just fine.




---==X={}=X==---

Jim Self

AVIATION ANIMATION, the internet's largest depository.
http://avanimation.avsupport.com

Your only internet source for spiral staircase plans.
http://jself.com/stair/Stair.htm

Experimental Aircraft Association #140897
EAA Technical Counselor #4562
 
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