USB (or any removable) drives drive assignment

[Chris McKean]

Is there any way for plugged in hardware not to sometimes get assigned a
letter that is already being used by a mapped network drive? The helpdesk
gets regular calls that they have not seen their USB drive show up because
of this. Is there some policy setting, or perhaps as far (I hope not) as a
memory resident utility to stop this from happenning?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[Bob I]

Windows preference is Local that drives map bottom to top ( C -> Z ),
and Network drives map top to bottom ( Z -> C ). Now someone comes along
and plunks a network drive down on E:, well the Local drive E: is just
not going to appear. Solution is to NOT maps network drives down where
local drives can be expected to be used.

 

[smlunatick]

Windows preference is Local that drives map bottom to top ( C -> Z ),
and Network drives map top to bottom ( Z -> C ). Now someone comes along
and plunks a network drive down on E:, well the Local drive E: is just
not going to appear. Solution is to NOT maps network drives down where
local drives can be expected to be used.

This topic has been asked a lot of times. Someone has come up with a
solution, since Microsoft has not.

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

 

[Chris McKean]

Yeah I know all that... I was hoping there was some way of dealing with
that... as I have a 1000 users used to having a network mapped drive as F:
for their Active Directory home directory, set up by someone 14 years ago on
Netware... and the people that are having this problem already have a device
taking up E:...

 

[Chris McKean]

Excellent! Though a tragedy that an additional peace of software is
needed... But hey, time for some testing!

Windows preference is Local that drives map bottom to top ( C -> Z ),
and Network drives map top to bottom ( Z -> C ). Now someone comes along
and plunks a network drive down on E:, well the Local drive E: is just
not going to appear. Solution is to NOT maps network drives down where
local drives can be expected to be used.

This topic has been asked a lot of times. Someone has come up with a
solution, since Microsoft has not.

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

 

[Pavel A.]

Is there any way for plugged in hardware not to sometimes get assigned a
letter that is already being used by a mapped network drive? The helpdesk
gets regular calls that they have not seen their USB drive show up because
of this. Is there some policy setting, or perhaps as far (I hope not) as a
memory resident utility to stop this from happenning?
Thanks,
Chris

Your helpdesk may want to see this site:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

and this: www.safelyremove.com

--PA

 

[M.I.5¾]

Windows preference is Local that drives map bottom to top ( C -> Z ), and
Network drives map top to bottom ( Z -> C ). Now someone comes along and
plunks a network drive down on E:, well the Local drive E: is just not
going to appear. Solution is to NOT maps network drives down where local
drives can be expected to be used.

Rubbish. By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence, including
removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't assigned).

 

[Uwe Sieber]

Rubbish. By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence, including
removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't assigned).

XP without SP3 or Hotfix KB297694 installed
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297694)
do not consider network drive letters when
assingning drive letters for new drives.

Example: Local drives C and D, a network
share on E. When a new drive is attached
XP will assing E even it is used as network
share.
This is fixed by SP3. But no always.

Example: Local drives C and D, USB drive
on E. Remove the USB drive. Create a
a network share on E.
When the same USB drive is attached again,
XP still has the assingment to E stored
and will use it even E is used now as
network share.

This is finally fixed under Vista.


Uwe

 

[Bob I]

Rubbish. By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence, including
removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't assigned).

Since when? Not on any installation I've seen.

 

[Bob I]

XP without SP3 or Hotfix KB297694 installed
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297694)
do not consider network drive letters when
assingning drive letters for new drives.

Example: Local drives C and D, a network
share on E. When a new drive is attached
XP will assing E even it is used as network
share.
This is fixed by SP3. But no always.

Example: Local drives C and D, USB drive
on E. Remove the USB drive. Create a
a network share on E.
When the same USB drive is attached again,
XP still has the assingment to E stored
and will use it even E is used now as
network share.

This is finally fixed under Vista.


Uwe

Thanks for the updated info.

 

[M.I.5¾]

Rubbish. By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence,
including removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't
assigned).

Since when? Not on any installation I've seen.

----------

On every installation that I have seen.

On the installations that you have seen, it may be that the network drive
has been implicitly assigned drive letters starting from Z: (and there are
good reasons for doing this) but it doesn't happen by default.

 

[Bob I]

Since when? Not on any installation I've seen.

----------

On every installation that I have seen.

On the installations that you have seen, it may be that the network drive
has been implicitly assigned drive letters starting from Z: (and there are
good reasons for doing this) but it doesn't happen by default.

Prove this to yourself at the CMD prompt enter the following

NET USE * \\computername\sharename

and observe the letter that is used.

 

[smlunatick]

Rubbish.  By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence, including
removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't assigned).

Not true! With SP3 and an assigned network mapped drive, a local
drive can be assigned the same drive letter. Had this with all
versions of Windows (95 to XP SP3) so for (not used Vista too much
yet.)

 

[M.I.5¾]

Since when? Not on any installation I've seen.

----------

On every installation that I have seen.

On the installations that you have seen, it may be that the network drive
has been implicitly assigned drive letters starting from Z: (and there are
good reasons for doing this) but it doesn't happen by default.

Prove this to yourself at the CMD prompt enter the following

NET USE * \\computername\sharename

and observe the letter that is used.

 

[M.I.5¾]

Rubbish. By default Windows XP assigns drive letters in sequence,
including
removeable drives and network drives (if a letter isn't assigned).

Not true! With SP3 and an assigned network mapped drive, a local
drive can be assigned the same drive letter. Had this with all
versions of Windows (95 to XP SP3) so for (not used Vista too much
yet.)

 

[Bob I]

M.I.5¾ wrote:





Prove this to yourself at the CMD prompt enter the following

NET USE * \\computername\sharename

and observe the letter that is used.

---------------

Alternatively use the Windows XP method (which is what we are discussing)
and 'Map Network Drive' from the tools menu in 'My Computer' and observe the
letter that is used.

Windows through at least XP SP2 assigns Z first using that method.

 

[M.I.5¾]

M.I.5¾ wrote:





Prove this to yourself at the CMD prompt enter the following

NET USE * \\computername\sharename

and observe the letter that is used.

---------------

Alternatively use the Windows XP method (which is what we are discussing)
and 'Map Network Drive' from the tools menu in 'My Computer' and observe
the letter that is used.

Windows through at least XP SP2 assigns Z first using that method.

 

[Chris McKean]

Excellent! I wish I'd know about this hotfix when it came out....

 

[Jason]

I changed my USB drive letter to something higher. Although I don't map
drives any more.