Can't Login without 2 hard drives present !?

[Joseph]

I have a windows 2000 pc with ONE hard drive. That drive had 2
partitions: C and D.

I have a second hard drive that already had windows 2000 on it and 2
partitions also.
I did the stupid thing of adding that second hard drive to my PC. When
I booted up the machine with both Hard drives(both with win200 on it)
it ended up
1. changing my drive letters.
2. started looking for the pagefile on the 2nd hard drive

Original hard drive had two partitions: C and D. Those ended up
becoming F and D.
Second hard drive had two partitions: F and G. Those ended up becoming
C and G.

Originally I couldn't login without an error telling me the pagefile
was too small or didn't exist. I corrected that by booting in safe
mode, logging in, and changing where the system looks for the pagefile
[back onto F: (originally C)] It was also pointed correctly to F: in
the registry.

Now I'm able to login but my drive letters are still screwed up. F: is
the system drive and won't allow me to change the letter back to C:.

Even worse, I am only able to login when BOTH drives are connected.
When I physically remove the second hard drive and boot up it will take
me to the login screen but won't let me login. When I try logging in it
kicks me back out to the login prompt with no error message. If I
connect back the 2nd hard drive it logs in fine. I feel like I
corrected the pagefile error (I see no more pagefile error message) but
I don't know what Windows is looking for on the 2nd hard drive that is
preventing it from logging in.

Any help would be appreciated.
Joseph

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Joseph" <[email protected]>

| I have a windows 2000 pc with ONE hard drive. That drive had 2
| partitions: C and D.
|
| I have a second hard drive that already had windows 2000 on it and 2
| partitions also.
| I did the stupid thing of adding that second hard drive to my PC. When
| I booted up the machine with both Hard drives(both with win200 on it)
| it ended up
| 1. changing my drive letters.
| 2. started looking for the pagefile on the 2nd hard drive
|
| Original hard drive had two partitions: C and D. Those ended up
| becoming F and D.
| Second hard drive had two partitions: F and G. Those ended up becoming
| C and G.
|
| Originally I couldn't login without an error telling me the pagefile
| was too small or didn't exist. I corrected that by booting in safe
| mode, logging in, and changing where the system looks for the pagefile
| [back onto F: (originally C)] It was also pointed correctly to F: in
| the registry.
|
| Now I'm able to login but my drive letters are still screwed up. F: is
| the system drive and won't allow me to change the letter back to C:.
|
| Even worse, I am only able to login when BOTH drives are connected.
| When I physically remove the second hard drive and boot up it will take
| me to the login screen but won't let me login. When I try logging in it
| kicks me back out to the login prompt with no error message. If I
| connect back the 2nd hard drive it logs in fine. I feel like I
| corrected the pagefile error (I see no more pagefile error message) but
| I don't know what Windows is looking for on the 2nd hard drive that is
| preventing it from logging in.
|
| Any help would be appreciated.
| Joseph

This is Win2K not WinXP as you posted HERE. Dont obfuscate the OS and then repost in
another News Group for another OS, namely WinXP.

Create a Ghost image of both hard disks.

Wipe both hard disks and partition post as one large partition each.

Reinstall the OS, SP4 and all post Service pack files. Reinstall all applications then
restore data from the Ghost images.

 

[Dave Patrick]

This article may help.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q249321/

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
|I have a windows 2000 pc with ONE hard drive. That drive had 2
| partitions: C and D.
|
| I have a second hard drive that already had windows 2000 on it and 2
| partitions also.
| I did the stupid thing of adding that second hard drive to my PC. When
| I booted up the machine with both Hard drives(both with win200 on it)
| it ended up
| 1. changing my drive letters.
| 2. started looking for the pagefile on the 2nd hard drive
|
| Original hard drive had two partitions: C and D. Those ended up
| becoming F and D.
| Second hard drive had two partitions: F and G. Those ended up becoming
| C and G.
|
| Originally I couldn't login without an error telling me the pagefile
| was too small or didn't exist. I corrected that by booting in safe
| mode, logging in, and changing where the system looks for the pagefile
| [back onto F: (originally C)] It was also pointed correctly to F: in
| the registry.
|
| Now I'm able to login but my drive letters are still screwed up. F: is
| the system drive and won't allow me to change the letter back to C:.
|
| Even worse, I am only able to login when BOTH drives are connected.
| When I physically remove the second hard drive and boot up it will take
| me to the login screen but won't let me login. When I try logging in it
| kicks me back out to the login prompt with no error message. If I
| connect back the 2nd hard drive it logs in fine. I feel like I
| corrected the pagefile error (I see no more pagefile error message) but
| I don't know what Windows is looking for on the 2nd hard drive that is
| preventing it from logging in.
|
| Any help would be appreciated.
| Joseph
|