Local Disc (F:)

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kmayes

I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
shown as (F:) drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
because my (C:) drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the system
all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
doesn't happen again.

Thanks
 
kmayes said:
I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
shown as (F:) drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
because my (C:) drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the system
all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
doesn't happen again.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Sounds like you rebooted with both drives attached after you clone the
drive.

What you will need to do is reclone your drive...
then *prior* to rebooting...remove the original drive and put the new one in
it's place.

To be on the safe side...you may want to entirely disconnect your zip drive
while doing that
 
kmayes said:
I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
shown as (F:) drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
because my (C:) drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the system
all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
doesn't happen again.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I'd like to hear a global explanation of why this happens and what to do
about it.
With Win98, I could switch drives around in my system, use boot managers
that swizzled drive letters, basically do anything I wanted and the
system would still boot. With Win2K and XP, moving drives around
confuses the OS so it can't tell where it is. Boots part way and
then gives a STOP error...it says it can't find the drive it's been
execting programs from...game over. Reinstall time.
I'd like to be able to plug a second ide drive in/out without having
to reinstall windows...
mike
 
I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
shown as (F:) drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
because my (C:) drive is now my Zip drive.
Click to expand...


There may be an occasional poorly-written program that won't install
anywhere but on C:, but I haven't seen one in a long time. The great
majority of installations let you change whatever the default is, and
specify where you want to install the, Please check again; you will
probably find that you can do this easily.

My first hard drive is also F: (for complicated reasons that I don't
want to go into). I have never had *any* problems with that setup, and
have never an installation fail as a result.


I also cannot change letters in
drive management.
Click to expand...


Correct. You can change any drive letter except the one Windows is
installed on.

What would be my solution to this short of doing the system
all over again.
Click to expand...


There is no other solution, but you are trying to solve a problem that
probably doesn't exist.


If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
doesn't happen again.
Click to expand...


Disconnect the other drives before starting installation, then
reconnect them afterward.
 
Ken wrote on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:24:43 -0700:

??>> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro.
??>> Now my drive is shown as (F:) drive. I want to install
??>> several Programs but cannot do it because my (C:) drive is
??>> now my Zip drive.

KBM> There may be an occasional poorly-written program that
KBM> won't install anywhere but on C:, but I haven't seen one
KBM> in a long time. The great majority of installations let
KBM> you change whatever the default is, and specify where you
KBM> want to install the, Please check again; you will probably
KBM> find that you can do this easily.

KBM> My first hard drive is also F: (for complicated reasons
KBM> that I don't want to go into). I have never had *any*
KBM> problems with that setup, and have never an installation
KBM> fail as a result.

??>> I also cannot change letters in
??>> drive management.

KBM> Correct. You can change any drive letter except the one
KBM> Windows is installed on.

??>> What would be my solution to this short of doing the
??>> system all over again.

KBM> There is no other solution, but you are trying to solve a
KBM> problem that probably doesn't exist.

??>> If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
??>> doesn't happen again.

KBM> Disconnect the other drives before starting installation,
KBM> then reconnect them afterward.

My machine is becoming a little old and has Windows 97 on C: and
the working system Windows XP on D: for reasons that seemed
suitable at the time. I have never had any problems apart from
an occasional ignorant program *offering* to instal itself on C:
It has never been necessary to accept the suggestion.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
What I am trying to install is an HP printer an also the drivers for my
GForce 4 video card. So can I change the location that my printer goes to
from C: to my F: drive? I dont think I can change the location for my video
card.
 
kmayes said:
I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
shown as (F:) drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
because my (C:) drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the
system
all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
doesn't happen again.

Thanks
Click to expand...


kmayes:
Although as you've heard from a number of responders that it's not crucial
that your system (boot) drive be designated as the C: drive and you can live
with your system (boot) drive as the F: drive, our experience in a Windows
environment tells us that for a variety of reasons it *is* most desirable
for your system (boot) drive to have the C: letter designation.

As you have discovered you cannot use XP's disk management utility to change
your system (boot) drive from F: to C:. While there have been some published
hacks indicating that registry modifications can achieve this change, we
have never found these changes reliable.

So my advice would be that if it's practical for you to do so, "bite the
bullet" and perform a fresh install of the XP OS. As I'm sure you recognize,
should you do this, all your programs will need to be subsequently
reinstalled. Presumably before undertaking a fresh install of the OS you
will copy off your F: drive your user-created data to some removable media,
so that shouldn't be a problem in later transferring that data to your
freshly-installed OS.

So you will have to decide whether a fresh install is practical under your
present circumstances.

Should you go that route, remember to disconnect your ZIP drive and any
other storage devices, e.g., another HDD should one be installed, *before*
undertaking a fresh install of the OS. That's what probably caused your
problem in the first place, i.e., your ZIP drive was connected and the XP
setup process designated it as your C: drive.
Anna
 
kmayes said:
I only have one drive installed as the old one crashed on me.
Click to expand...


Well, that sometimes happens if imaging a drive and the system is re-booted
with both drives in place...

The next thing I'd check is the boot order in the bios.

Normally a machine would be setup with the DVD or CDROM first...
then the main HD as second.

At any rate...you will have to reinstall windows to get your main drive back
to being listed as C:

and as mentioned...you may want to just plain disconnect your zip drive
while re-installing
 
Anna wrote on Fri, 1 Feb 2008 22:59:19 -0500:


A> ??>> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro.
??>> Now my drive is shown as (F:) drive. I want to install
??>> several Programs but cannot do it because my (C:) drive is
??>> now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in drive
??>> management. What would be my solution to this short of
??>> doing the system all over again. If I have to do it all
??>> over again, how do I make sure it doesn't happen again.
??>>
??>> Thanks

A> kmayes:
A> Although as you've heard from a number of responders that
A> it's not crucial that your system (boot) drive be designated
A> as the C: drive and you can live with your system (boot)
A> drive as the F: drive, our experience in a Windows
A> environment tells us that for a variety of reasons it *is*
A> most desirable for your system (boot) drive to have the C:
A> letter designation.

Since I have only experienced the minor annoyance of having to
change a *suggested* location, I would be interested in knowing
some of "the variety of reasons". Please don't think I am being
sarcastic :-)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
A> ??>> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro.
??>> Now my drive is shown as (F:) drive. I want to install
??>> several Programs but cannot do it because my (C:) drive is
??>> now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in drive
??>> management. What would be my solution to this short of
??>> doing the system all over again. If I have to do it all
??>> over again, how do I make sure it doesn't happen again.
??>>
??>> Thanks

Anna wrote on Fri, 1 Feb 2008 22:59:19 -0500:
A> kmayes:
A> Although as you've heard from a number of responders that
A> it's not crucial that your system (boot) drive be designated
A> as the C: drive and you can live with your system (boot)
A> drive as the F: drive, our experience in a Windows
A> environment tells us that for a variety of reasons it *is*
A> most desirable for your system (boot) drive to have the C:
A> letter designation.
Click to expand...


James Silverton said:
Since I have only experienced the minor annoyance of having to change a
*suggested* location, I would be interested in knowing > some of "the
variety of reasons". Please don't think I am being sarcastic :-)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
Click to expand...


James:
Over the years in a Windows environment we've encountered many problems and
annoyances with users' machines where their system (boot) drive had not been
designated with the ubiquitous C: drive assignment letter because of one
reason or another, chiefly because another (potentially) bootable storage
device had been connected in the system while the user was attempting to
fresh-install the XP OS. (I believe this is the root of the OP's problem.)
Also, problems arising from faulty processes involving a disk cloning
operation.

In any event, the problems we subsequently encountered because of this
situation involved the inability (present & future) for the user to install
a particular program on his/her system (boot) drive because the program
simply balked at any attempt to install such program other than on a C:
designated drive. True, virtually any major program in existence today will
allow this capability but there are still a host of programs out there
(including "custom-made" programs) that simply don't have this capability.
We also encountered problems where future user configuration modifications
simply wouldn't work because the program had originally been installed on a
non-C: designated drive.

Also, we've run into many problems with subsequent upgrades, patches, fixes
of one sort or another affecting an installed program that either would not
modify the targeted program because the program resided on an other-than-C:
drive (even though the user had not originally experienced any difficulty in
installing that program on a non-C: drive), or even if the upgrade, patch,
etc. appeared to be installed properly we ran into subsequent problems of
one kind or another which we attributed to the fact that the program resided
on a non-C: designated drive.

So all-in-all as I've suggested to the OP, if it's not too terribly onerous
to "start over" as it were and perform a correct fresh install of the XP OS
so as to install that OS on a C: designated drive, our advice is do so. On
the other hand if it's simply impractical for the user to do this because
the programs/applications installed on drive make it too difficult or
impossible for the user to reinstall these programs/applications following a
fresh install of the OS (together with the usually onerous chore of
reinstalling all the MS critical updates), then he or she can live with the
present situation and hope for the best.
Anna
 
What I am trying to install is an HP printer an also the drivers for my
GForce 4 video card. So can I change the location that my printer goes to
from C: to my F: drive? I dont think I can change the location for my video
card.
Click to expand...


Almost certainly you can. It should be no problem at all.
 
Over the years in a Windows environment we've encountered many problems and
annoyances with users' machines where their system (boot) drive had not been
designated with the ubiquitous C: drive assignment letter because of one
reason or another, chiefly because another (potentially) bootable storage
device had been connected in the system while the user was attempting to
fresh-install the XP OS. (I believe this is the root of the OP's problem.)
Click to expand...


Yes, that's almost certainly the reason.

Also, problems arising from faulty processes involving a disk cloning
operation.

In any event, the problems we subsequently encountered because of this
situation involved the inability (present & future) for the user to install
a particular program on his/her system (boot) drive because the program
simply balked at any attempt to install such program other than on a C:
designated drive. True, virtually any major program in existence today will
allow this capability but there are still a host of programs out there
(including "custom-made" programs) that simply don't have this capability.
Click to expand...


As I said in my earlier message in this thread, yes, there are some
older programs that insist on installing on C: and simply won't work
otherwise. But my experience is that such programs are *extremely*
rare these days. In several years of running with both Windows XP and
Windows Vista installed on drive F:, with a wide variety of different
programs, I haven't run into a single one.

My recommendation to the OP is that, unless he knows that he is in a
situation where he has to install a program that won't install on F:,
he ignore this possibility. If he doesn't already have such a program,
it is *extremely* unlikely that any new program he buys will have such
a restriction.

We also encountered problems where future user configuration modifications
simply wouldn't work because the program had originally been installed on a
non-C: designated drive.
Click to expand...


Can you be more specific? What modifications? I've never run into such
a problem.

Also, we've run into many problems with subsequent upgrades, patches, fixes
of one sort or another affecting an installed program that either would not
modify the targeted program because the program resided on an other-than-C:
drive (even though the user had not originally experienced any difficulty in
installing that program on a non-C: drive), or even if the upgrade, patch,
etc. appeared to be installed properly we ran into subsequent problems of
one kind or another which we attributed to the fact that the program resided
on a non-C: designated drive.
Click to expand...


Again, please be more specific. I have never run into such a problem
in several years on my own computer (again running both XP and Vista),
nor on any other computers, nor have I ever heard of such a problem
from anyone else.

So all-in-all as I've suggested to the OP, if it's not too terribly onerous
to "start over" as it were and perform a correct fresh install of the XP OS
so as to install that OS on a C: designated drive, our advice is do so.
Click to expand...


Unless it's a very recent installation, with very little on the drive,
reinstalling cleanly *is* usually onerous, and often gets the person
into even more difficulties. My advice to him is contrary to yours. Do
not do this unless you need to because you are trying to install some
program that refuses to install on F:. I doubt very much that he is in
that situation and simply needs to change the drive letter from the
default that is presented to him.
 
Anna wrote on Sat, 2 Feb 2008 09:51:16 -0500:


A> message ??>> Since I have only experienced the minor annoyance of
??>> having to change a *suggested* location, I would be
??>> interested in knowing > some of "the variety of reasons".
??>> Please don't think I am being sarcastic :-)
??>>

Thank you very much for your extensive reply. I think the major
difference between my experience and yours is that I am
reasonably computer literate single user unlike, unfortunately,
the group whom you serve. I have no trouble in admitting that it
may well avoid difficulties to have a uniform nomenclature in a
group situation.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
Ken:
Without belaboring the issue I can only repeat what I've stated in my last
post.

The problems we've run into re this issue along the lines I've described
involving many, many users over the years in an XP environment have
impressed us to strongly suggest that, wherever practical, the user should
establish his/her system (boot) disk as the C: drive even if it means a
fresh install of the OS.

As I've indicated, I fully realize that this is not always the most sensible
approach based on the reasons I've previously stated, i.e., it is simply not
practical for the user to reinstall his/her programs/applications currently
existing on the non-C: drive because they are either so numerous and/or the
user simply does not have the requisite reinstall media available or for any
other reason that may make a new fresh install of the OS a tortuous process.
In those cases he or she will need to live with a system (boot) drive that
bears a non-C: drive letter designation.

But...

As apparently in the OP's case (recall that he or she has already attempted
a fresh install of the OS thus deleting all the data on the disk), if the
chore of undertaking another fresh install of the XP OS and doing it
correctly so that the HDD on which the OS will be installed will then be
designated the C: drive and the task of undertaking this process is not
terribly onerous, then my advice still holds, i.e., it is *most* desirable
that the system (boot) drive be designated with the C: drive letter
assignment.
Anna
 
Ken:
Without belaboring the issue I can only repeat what I've stated in my last
post.

The problems we've run into re this issue along the lines I've described
involving many, many users over the years in an XP environment have
impressed us to strongly suggest that, wherever practical, the user should
establish his/her system (boot) disk as the C: drive even if it means a
fresh install of the OS.
Click to expand...


OK. We clearly disagree.

I recommend that he stay with the setup he presently has, since there
is no downside to it. The OP can decide for himself which advice he
wants to follow.
 
Ken Blake said:
OK. We clearly disagree.

I recommend that he stay with the setup he presently has, since there
is no downside to it. The OP can decide for himself which advice he
wants to follow.
Click to expand...


Ken:
As I explained (or try to explain) in my previous posts, based upon our
fairly extensive experience with thousands of users over the years in an XP
environment, there certainly is a "downside" - at least a substantially
potential one - in one's system (boot) drive being designated with a drive
assignment letter other than C:.

Note the OP's original post. Bear in mind that the OP has just undertaken a
fresh install - albeit one that was faulty - of the XP OS which resulted in
his/her system (boot) drive being designated at the F: drive.

So it would appear that since all his/her programs/applications that
previously existed on that HDD have been deleted in the process, in this
particular case it would seem to be a simple & practical matter for the user
to just "start over" and undertake a proper fresh install of the XP OS
resulting in his/her HDD becoming a properly-designated C: drive. Then, of
course, install whatever programs/applications he/she desires.
Anna
 
Ken:
As I explained (or try to explain) in my previous posts, based upon our
fairly extensive experience with thousands of users over the years in an XP
environment, there certainly is a "downside" - at least a substantially
potential one - in one's system (boot) drive being designated with a drive
assignment letter other than C:.
Click to expand...


Anna, I've stated my view, and don't want to repeat myself further. We
disagree.

I don't dispute your right to your opinion. Please allow me mine. As I
said, the OP can decide for himself whom he wants to believe and what
he wants to do.
 
Ken:
I most certainly don't dispute your right (or anyone else's right for that
matter) on this or any other forum to state your view. I fully understand
that you disagree with my point of view. So be it. I was merely responding
to your previous post and hopefully clarifying my position re this issue.
Anna
 
Ken:
I most certainly don't dispute your right (or anyone else's right for that
matter) on this or any other forum to state your view. I fully understand
that you disagree with my point of view. So be it. I was merely responding
to your previous post and hopefully clarifying my position re this issue.
Click to expand...


OK, understood.

And I'll add that although we disagree on this point, I usually agree
with most of your other posts and I think you generally post very good
advice.


 
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