What is maximum number of drives? Or maybe...

[Tcs]

I have just encountered a problem, which I didn't have before...

I've just upgraded from an old PC, running Windows 2k Pro (sp4), to a
new one running XP Pro (sp2). (I have built both PCs, just as I have
always done.) My configuration is:

----+-------+-------+---+----------------------
Drv | OLD PC| NEW PC| # | description
----+-------+-------+---+----------------------
A: | x | x | - | floppy
B: | - | - | - | doesn't exist
C: | x(10) | x(35) | 0 | OS partition (active)
D: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | comm partition
E: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | graphics partition
F: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | word proc partition
G: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | database partition
H: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | various data
I: | x | x | - | CD / DVD-ROM drive
J: | x | x | - | DVD drive
K: | x | x(10) | 1 | OS partition (active)
L: | x(320)| ????? | 2 | misc
M: | | x (5) | 1 | comm partition
N: | | x (5) | 1 | graphics partition
O: | | x (5) | 1 | word proc partition
P: | | x (5) | 1 | database partition
Q: | | x (5) | 1 | various data
R: | | x | - | card read 1st drive
S: | | x | - | card read 2nd drive
T: | | x | - | card read 3rd drive
U: | | x | - | card read 4th drive
V: | | x(160)| 3 | misc

Right now, disk 1 in the new PC is my disk 0 from my old PC, while I
continue to migrate from the old to the new. *Normally*, I would only
have one, perhaps two partitions on disk 1.

Hard Disk 0 = 80gb
Hard Disk 1 = 40gb right now, but varies (win 2k hdd 0)
Hard Disk 2 = 320bg right now, but varies
Hard Disk 3 = 160gb right now, but varies

Notes:
------
1.) Disks 0, 1 & 2 are in removable cartridge/chassis.
2.) Disk 3 is an external unit with USB interface.
3.) All hard disks are IDE.
4.) Disks 0, 1 & 2 are in the chassis.
5.) Disks 0 & 1 run off the mobo's controllers.
6.) Disk 2 runs off a SIIG Ultra ATA/133 PCI controller.
7.) Drives R:, S:, T: & U: are card reader unit (Koutech F7210).

I can disable drives R:-U:, by "stopping" the USB device, although I
don't actually "remove" anything. I was able to get my system to
"see" the missing drive 2 (L, by turning the cartridge key to "off",
then back to "on". ( I don't believe it was the "scan for hardware
changes" that worked. )

So...I'm thinking this has to do with the number of physical "disks"
in the system. ( So far I haven't been able to find anything about
what any such limit might be. ) But maybe it's a matter of the number
of "drives". Maybe some combination. Whatever it is, I would like to
know. I'm also wondering if it would be possible to script the
disabling of drives R:-U: and enabling of drive L:. And...if so, how
to do it. Can I restrict the enabling of drives R: thru U: to perhaps
just ONE (1) drive? ( I only have one Compact Flash card. )

Can anyone out there help me? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have just encountered a problem, which I didn't have before...

I've just upgraded from an old PC, running Windows 2k Pro (sp4), to
a new one running XP Pro (sp2). (I have built both PCs, just as I
have always done.) My configuration is:

----+-------+-------+---+----------------------
Drv | OLD PC| NEW PC| # | description
----+-------+-------+---+----------------------
A: | x | x | - | floppy
B: | - | - | - | doesn't exist
C: | x(10) | x(35) | 0 | OS partition (active)
D: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | comm partition
E: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | graphics partition
F: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | word proc partition
G: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | database partition
H: | x (5) | x (8) | 0 | various data
I: | x | x | - | CD / DVD-ROM drive
J: | x | x | - | DVD drive
K: | x | x(10) | 1 | OS partition (active)
L: | x(320)| ????? | 2 | misc
M: | | x (5) | 1 | comm partition
N: | | x (5) | 1 | graphics partition
O: | | x (5) | 1 | word proc partition
P: | | x (5) | 1 | database partition
Q: | | x (5) | 1 | various data
R: | | x | - | card read 1st drive
S: | | x | - | card read 2nd drive
T: | | x | - | card read 3rd drive
U: | | x | - | card read 4th drive
V: | | x(160)| 3 | misc

Right now, disk 1 in the new PC is my disk 0 from my old PC, while I
continue to migrate from the old to the new. *Normally*, I would
only have one, perhaps two partitions on disk 1.

Hard Disk 0 = 80gb
Hard Disk 1 = 40gb right now, but varies (win 2k hdd 0)
Hard Disk 2 = 320bg right now, but varies
Hard Disk 3 = 160gb right now, but varies

Notes:
------
1.) Disks 0, 1 & 2 are in removable cartridge/chassis.
2.) Disk 3 is an external unit with USB interface.
3.) All hard disks are IDE.
4.) Disks 0, 1 & 2 are in the chassis.
5.) Disks 0 & 1 run off the mobo's controllers.
6.) Disk 2 runs off a SIIG Ultra ATA/133 PCI controller.
7.) Drives R:, S:, T: & U: are card reader unit (Koutech F7210).

I can disable drives R:-U:, by "stopping" the USB device, although I
don't actually "remove" anything. I was able to get my system to
"see" the missing drive 2 (L, by turning the cartridge key to
"off", then back to "on". ( I don't believe it was the "scan for
hardware changes" that worked. )

So...I'm thinking this has to do with the number of physical "disks"
in the system. ( So far I haven't been able to find anything about
what any such limit might be. ) But maybe it's a matter of the
number of "drives". Maybe some combination. Whatever it is, I
would like to know. I'm also wondering if it would be possible to
script the disabling of drives R:-U: and enabling of drive L:.
And...if so, how to do it. Can I restrict the enabling of drives
R: thru U: to perhaps just ONE (1) drive? ( I only have one
Compact Flash card. )

Can anyone out there help me? Any help would be appreciated.

I think you have gone into overkill on the number of partitions.
You do not *need* that many.

Most get along just fine with one (1) partition per drive.
Many get along better in that way and organizing their files/installations
into folders.

You have not ran out of drive letters - but you have a riduculous number of
them.
I have systems with 2+TB of space on them and connectivity to several
external drives and network devices and seldom get over 12-15 drive letters.

Why not make an image of the old disk using somehting like Symantec Ghost,
Acronis TrueImage, BootItNG - and then read from the image to save your
machine from having to parse the abnormal number of tiny partitions? heh

 

[Wesley Vogel]

26.

<quote>
A computer can use up to 26 drive letters. Drive letters A and B are
reserved for floppy disk drives, but you can assign these letters to
removable drives if the computer does not have a floppy disk drive. Hard
disk drives in the computer receive letters C through Z, while mapped
network drives are assigned drive letters in reverse order (Z through B).
<quote>
from...
To assign, change, or remove a drive letter
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/.../proddocs/en-us/dm_drive_letter.mspx?mfr=true

Or paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...

hh diskmgmt.chm::/dm_drive_letter.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Gerry]

Wes

26 is not the max. You can have any number of C drives as long as the
operating system residing therein cannot see any of the other C drives.


--



Regards.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Gerry,

On one Windows operating system you can have as many drives as you like.
But you can only designate 26 of them with drive letters, from A thru Z.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[PVS R]

Then how do we designate the rest ??

 

[Richard Pounder]

You HoopleHeaded Eggheader...do you think the OP is coming back to read a
reply to his post from 2007 after all these years? And, since you changed
the subject? What a Doofus.

 

[VanguardLH]

PVS R wrote ...


You HoopleHeaded Eggheader...do you think the OP is coming back to read a
reply to his post from 2007 after all these years? And, since you changed
the subject? What a Doofus.

Tis the stupidity common to the boobs using web-based forums (along with
Egghead's ****ed up gateway to Usenet) that are too lazy or stupid to
bother looking at datestamps.

 

[Brad B]

An explanation of one way to do it here:

http://ask-leo.com/26_drives_is_there_a_way_around_the_26_drive_limit_in_windows.html

 

[Brad B]

See:

http://ask-leo.com/26_drives_is_there_a_way_around_the_26_drive_limit_in_windows.html

 

[Stan Brown]

[This followup was posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics and a
copy was sent to the cited author.]

An explanation of one way to do it here:

http://ask-leo.com/26_drives_is_there_a_way_around_the_26_drive_limit_in_windows.html
On Sunday, May 06, 2007 3:51 PM Tcs wrote:

Hey Brad ...

Please don't resurrect three-and-a-half-year old threads. Or if you
feel you absolutely must, at least don't change the subject line.
Eggheadcafe now makes it possible to keep the original subject.

Please trim the material you quote, and put your comment after what
you're commenting on, not before.

Oh yes, and please don't post the same article twice.

http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/unice.htm