How does install allocate drive letters?

[WoofWoof]

I just had to re-install. I started with an empty (unpartitioned)
first drive and a second drive with an NTFS non-bootable data
partition (left over from the previous installation).

For some reason, install decided to allocate C: to the second drive
partition, D: & E: to my cd-r/w and dvd drives and finally F: to the
first drive on which the OS was installed. I know it doesn't make any
real difference, but I'm much more comfortable if my OS is the
c-drive.

Can anyone explain how Win2K install allocates drive letters and how I
might get it to allocate C: to the first drive partition, D: to the
second drive partition and E: F: etc to the removable media drives.

Even dos wasn't this bad.

 

[Dave Patrick]

Sounds like the install created a logical drive in an extended partition.
Use Disk Management to confirm this.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft MVP [Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems]
Microsoft Certified Professional [Windows 2000]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect.


:
| I just had to re-install. I started with an empty (unpartitioned)
| first drive and a second drive with an NTFS non-bootable data
| partition (left over from the previous installation).
|
| For some reason, install decided to allocate C: to the second drive
| partition, D: & E: to my cd-r/w and dvd drives and finally F: to the
| first drive on which the OS was installed. I know it doesn't make any
| real difference, but I'm much more comfortable if my OS is the
| c-drive.
|
| Can anyone explain how Win2K install allocates drive letters and how I
| might get it to allocate C: to the first drive partition, D: to the
| second drive partition and E: F: etc to the removable media drives.
|
| Even dos wasn't this bad.

 

[Dan Seur]

I have a vague recollection that if the install process is not aborted
immediately after partitioins are deleted/reformatted, remaining
formatted (valid) partitions are renamed starting with C:, and the
system will wind up in something other than C:.

The deal seems to be that you start install, delete the partition(s) you
need to, abort and restart the install (whereby the sys loses its memory
of partition names), and wind up with the W2k partition named C:.

All bets off if it's a multiboot config, I suspect.

 

[WoofWoof]

I think that could be right, also Dave may have a point. Install may
have created an extended partition because the partition on my second
drive was a primary.

In any event, I fixed it by creating an empty, formatted primary
partition on the foirst drive using Partition Magic. Install correctly
saw this as the C: drive and I told it to install there.