How do I get rid of a drive letter?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Doug Knox MS-MVP
  • Start date Start date
D

Doug Knox MS-MVP

Right click My Computer and select Manage, Disk Management. Locate the non-existant drive and right click it. You can remove the drive letter there.

You might also want to go into Device Manager and see if the device is physically listed. It shouldn't be, if its been removed, but........
 
I once had a CDR drive and a CDRW drive. Now I only have the latter.
The CDR drive still shows up in 'My Computer' etc and ties up a drive
letter of course. How do I remove it? I no longer need it and would
like to get rid of it.

Thanks
 
Right click My Computer and select Manage, Disk Management. Locate the non-existant drive and right click it. You can remove the drive letter there.

You might also want to go into Device Manager and see if the device is physically listed. It shouldn't be, if its been removed, but........
Click to expand...


I've been there. The drive and its letter are not there. However it
shows as a CD drive in My Computer and in Windows Explorer.
I think that's strange.

Thanks for your interest.

V
 
Victor wrote :
I once had a CDR drive and a CDRW drive. Now I only have the latter.
The CDR drive still shows up in 'My Computer' etc and ties up a drive
letter of course. How do I remove it? I no longer need it and would
like to get rid of it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

This doesn't sound like one of the normal symptoms of this problem but
hey, it's Windows, who knows, it's worth a shot...

Go to Start, Run and type regedit then press Return. Navigate to
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Environment" right click the right hand pane and select New,
String Value. Give it the name DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES and press
Return. Now double click it and give it a Value of 1

Restart your PC and then right click My Computer, Properties, Hardware,
Device Manager. Click View, Show Hidden Devices. Now look under
DVD/CD-ROM drives and see if there is a ghostly depiction of your
absent drive. If there is right click it and select Uninstall.

Might need another reboot before checking My Computer to see if it's
gone. If it has... Bonus. If it hasn't, sorry but I'm stumped.

Mr C.
 
Victor wrote :

This doesn't sound like one of the normal symptoms of this problem but
hey, it's Windows, who knows, it's worth a shot...

Go to Start, Run and type regedit then press Return. Navigate to
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session
Manager\Environment" right click the right hand pane and select New,
String Value. Give it the name DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES and press
Return. Now double click it and give it a Value of 1

Restart your PC and then right click My Computer, Properties, Hardware,
Device Manager. Click View, Show Hidden Devices. Now look under
DVD/CD-ROM drives and see if there is a ghostly depiction of your
absent drive. If there is right click it and select Uninstall.

Might need another reboot before checking My Computer to see if it's
gone. If it has... Bonus. If it hasn't, sorry but I'm stumped.

Mr C.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr C

I tried what you suggested - to no avail. The danged drive still
shows in MY computer and Windows Explorer. Not in Device Manager.
I appreciate your 'try' anyhow. Life sure is a beech huh?

I looked at this anomaly for a few months, and decided today to try to
make things right. Looks like WXP has a mind of its own.

V
 
Victor said:
I once had a CDR drive and a CDRW drive. Now I only have the latter.
The CDR drive still shows up in 'My Computer' etc and ties up a drive
letter of course. How do I remove it? I no longer need it and would
like to get rid of it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi Victor,

just a try but,
do have any CD/DVD emulation or burning software installed?
If so try to remove it and see if the driveletter is still there.

Lutz
 
Victor said:
I once had a CDR drive and a CDRW drive. Now I only have the latter.
The CDR drive still shows up in 'My Computer' etc and ties up a drive
letter of course. How do I remove it? I no longer need it and would
like to get rid of it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Do you have tweakiuXP installed?
If so just uncheck the letter of the Phantom drive.
and ties up a drive letter of course
Click to expand...
Drive letters go all the way to Z, is missing one really a big deal?
 
Do you have tweakiuXP installed?
no

If so just uncheck the letter of the Phantom drive.

Drive letters go all the way to Z, is missing one really a big deal?
Click to expand...

no

It's just that it displaces the other letters. I have lived with it.
I just thought it would be nice to un-muddy the water a bit.

V
 
Drive letters go all the way to Z, is missing one really a big deal?

I have a machine with about 12 partitions spread across 3 physical drives, a
burner, a floppy, a USB memory stick, a digital camera, etc, each taking
their own drive letter. Map a few network shares, and I quickly run out of
drive letters and have to start shuffling stuff around. So yeah, one letter
actually *can* be a big deal.
 
Try this:

Right-click on My Computer - choose Properties - click Hardware - Device
Manager (Start + PauseBreak button is Shortcut).

Expand to DVD/CD-ROM Drives
Check the unwanted CD Drivers here and right-click uninstall.

Hope this help.
 
Homer said:
I have a machine with about 12 partitions spread across 3 physical
drives, a burner, a floppy, a USB memory stick, a digital camera,
etc, each taking their own drive letter. Map a few network shares,
and I quickly run out of drive letters and have to start shuffling
stuff around. So yeah, one letter actually *can* be a big deal.
Click to expand...
 
Victor said:
I once had a CDR drive and a CDRW drive. Now I only have the latter.
The CDR drive still shows up in 'My Computer' etc and ties up a drive
letter of course. How do I remove it? I no longer need it and would
like to get rid of it.
Click to expand...


Start -> Run

mountvol X: /d

X: is the letter of your non existing drive.



Greetings from Germany

Uwe
 
Homer said:
I have a machine with about 12 partitions spread across 3 physical
drives, a burner, a floppy, a USB memory stick, a digital camera,
etc, each taking their own drive letter. Map a few network shares,
and I quickly run out of drive letters and have to start shuffling
stuff around. So yeah, one letter actually *can* be a big deal.
Click to expand...

A little too much radiation at the plant I take?
:-)
 
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