Why F:\

  • Thread starter Thread starter Simon
  • Start date Start date
S

Simon

Hi Everyone !

I installed WXP pro sp1 in a new 40Gb hard drive.
Everything went smoothly, except that the system has been
installed in F:\ instead the usual C:\ . I am used to
C:\ not F:\.

Why this had happened and can I change it ?

Thanks

Simon
 
One cannot change the boot partition letter without
performing a "clean install" of Windows XP.

Drive Letters Change Unexpectedly When You Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;326683&Product=winxp

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and keyboard, before installing XP.

NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation difficulties, use the following resources:

How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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


| Hi Everyone !
|
| I installed WXP pro sp1 in a new 40Gb hard drive.
| Everything went smoothly, except that the system has been
| installed in F:\ instead the usual C:\ . I am used to
| C:\ not F:\.
|
| Why this had happened and can I change it ?
|
| Thanks
|
| Simon
|
|
 
Simon said:
I installed WXP pro sp1 in a new 40Gb hard drive.
Everything went smoothly, except that the system has been
installed in F:\ instead the usual C:\ . I am used to
C:\ not F:\.

Why this had happened and can I change it ?
Click to expand...

Simon,

you probably had some other drives connected, like Iomega
removable media drives.

The best way out is to remove these drives, then install Windows
again from scratch.

You may have to remove the partition entirely to get rid of the
unwanted drive letter or apply fdisk /mbr from a Windows 98 or
DOS boot diskette.

Hans-Georg
 
Hans-Georg and Carey,

Thanks to both of you.

It is true that my machine has Iomega Zip drive, as Hans-
Georg said, which has been assigned the drive letter C:\.

However, the article which Carey kindly referred me to
makes a link to another article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;307844

This article gives the impression that it is feasible to
change the drive letter.

Or perhaps you would agree with it but in your view it
would be preferable to do a clean install with the Zip
drive physically disconnected ?

Regards

Simon
-----Original Message-----
One cannot change the boot partition letter without
performing a "clean install" of Windows XP.

Drive Letters Change Unexpectedly When You Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en- us;326683&Product=winxp

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

NOTE: It would be best to physically disconnect all your peripheral hardware
devices, except the monitor, mouse and
Click to expand...
keyboard, before installing XP.
NOTE: If you have an internal Zip Drive installed, physically disconnect the
EIDE and power cable to it before
Click to expand...
proceeding, otherwise your main
hard drive may not be assigned the customary C: drive letter.
After installing Windows XP, you may then reconnect it.

1. Open your BIOS and set your "CD Drive as the first bootable device".

===> Accessing Motherboard BIOS
===> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete all the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. ==> Immediately after installing Windows XP, turn on XP's Firewall.
==> http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

7. After Windows XP is installed, visit the Windows Update website
and download the available "Critical Updates".

8. After installing the critical updates, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.

9. If you happen to run into any installation
Click to expand...
difficulties, use the following resources:
How to Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?
Click to expand...
scid=kb;EN-US;310064

Troubleshooting Windows XP Setup
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_setup.htm

[Courtesy of MS-MVP Kelly Theriot]

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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


| Hi Everyone !
|
| I installed WXP pro sp1 in a new 40Gb hard drive.
| Everything went smoothly, except that the system has been
| installed in F:\ instead the usual C:\ . I am used to
| C:\ not F:\.
|
| Why this had happened and can I change it ?
|
| Thanks
|
| Simon
|
|
.
Click to expand...
 
Simon said:
It is true that my machine has Iomega Zip drive, as Hans-
Georg said, which has been assigned the drive letter C:\.

However, the article which Carey kindly referred me to
makes a link to another article:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;307844

This article gives the impression that it is feasible to
change the drive letter.

Or perhaps you would agree with it but in your view it
would be preferable to do a clean install with the Zip
drive physically disconnected ?
Click to expand...

Simon,

Carey rightly also recommended the fresh install, and I agree. I
have once changed the drive letter of a running installation,
but it is very messy, risky, very time-consuming, never entirely
complete and correct, and it would be a mistake if you installed
the system recently anyway, unless you had an overriding reason.

So the recommendation is still valid to do another clean
install.

Hans-Georg
 
Thank Hans

You were very clear.

I was trying to explore with you as to whether the
possibility of changing the drive letter through GUI is a
safe option. If it were, then I would not have to do a
fresh install. I spent almost all day yesterday to
complete my installation in a new HD using my new XP pro
Sp1 CD. I did not realise that the system has been
installed in F:\ drive. All that I have checked was the
hardware device and whether there was any conflict.
There was none and I felt that the install was successful
given also the stability and the gracefulness of the
Windows XP default screen. I then began installing all
my programs, all my favorites and so on. I spent an
inordinate amount of time to do that. I contacted my ISP
technical Support on a premium rate line to set up my
internet. I installed all my .dbx forlders, etc from Zip
Disks backup which I previously made . At about 10 pm
when everything seemed to me complete and where I was
about to open my very nice white wine bottle, it crossed
my mind to check the space left in my £40 Gb HD. It was
at this point that I realised that the system install
pointed to F:/ instead to C:\ .

You can imagine how lazy I am feeling right now by going
through a fresh install all over again ! And it was for
this reason that I was desperately wanting someone to
tell me with confidence to go ahead and change the drive
letter through Maintenance of the Control panel :-))

Thank you Hans and God Bless !

Simon
 
Simon said:
You can imagine how lazy I am feeling right now by going
through a fresh install all over again ! And it was for
this reason that I was desperately wanting someone to
tell me with confidence to go ahead and change the drive
letter through Maintenance of the Control panel :-))
Click to expand...

Simon,

you cannot even do it that way. Windows doesn't allow the drive
letter of the running installation to be changed. Even this
first step requires a trick (see
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxDriveLetterChangeSystemPartition.htm).

The big problem is that all kinds of software keep references to
other files that include the drive letter. Many of these are in
the registry. You can search and replace some of them, but there
are very many. And some are actually in key names, and I don't
know of any tool that can search and replace these
automatically.

The next, and possibly insurmountable problem is that some other
pieces of software (probably including various parts of MS
Office) keep such references in their own configuration files
that can have proprietary formats and that you cannot all find
and change. The drive letter may even be encoded.

If you are talking about one day of work, I think that's not
very much. I repeatedly needed several days to get a problem
system back to working order, but then it would probably take me
weeks to reinstall everything from scratch.

Bite the bullet and reinstall---you'll be rewarded with a clean,
well-working system.

Hans-Georg
 
Back
Top