Windows XP did not install on drive C: - Help, please

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alvaro Mejia
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A

Alvaro Mejia

I just installed Windows XP professional. When it came time to format the
hard drive, it did it but assigned the letter E:.
First, What did I do wrong,
Second, How can I fix it?

Thank you very much,
Alvaro
 
This can happen if you have a removable media drive, such as a ZIP drive connected when you do the install. Physically disconnect the removable media drive and reinstall.
 
Can you describe the disk and partition arrangement before and after?

--

Regards,

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

:
|I just installed Windows XP professional. When it came time to format the
| hard drive, it did it but assigned the letter E:.
| First, What did I do wrong,
| Second, How can I fix it?
|
| Thank you very much,
| Alvaro
|
|
 
Thank you all for the responses.

I have two hard disk drives and they were C: and F: I use C: for programs
and F: for data. I also have two CD drives assigned before installation as
drive D: and E:.
I mounted the CD Setup input system disk on drive E:
 
I have two hard drives. At the beginning of the installation they were C and
F. I have two CD drives. At the beginning of the installation they were D
and E. I had a very problematic Windows XP on disk C at the beginning of the
installation. I mounted the system CD on drive E. At the end of the
formatting, drive C was assigned E which was disconcerting. It meant there
were two drives E = the hard drive and the CD drive. Windows seems to be
comfortable on the first hard disk which is now E.

Thank you very much.

Alvaro


This can happen if you have a removable media drive, such as a ZIP drive
connected when you do the install. Physically disconnect the removable
media drive and reinstall.
 
I have two hard drives. At the beginning of the installation they were C and
F. I have two CD drives. At the beginning of the installation they were D
and E. I had a very problematic Windows XP on disk C at the beginning of the
installation. I mounted the system CD on drive E. At the end of the
formatting, drive C was assigned E which was disconcerting. It meant there
were two drives E = the hard drive and the CD drive. Windows seems to be
comfortable on the first hard disk which is now E.

Thank you very much.

Alvaro
 
I have two hard drives. At the beginning of the installation they were C and
F. I have two CD drives. At the beginning of the installation they were D
and E. I had a very problematic Windows XP on disk C at the beginning of the
installation. I mounted the system CD on drive E. At the end of the
formatting, drive C was assigned E which was disconcerting. It meant there
were two drives E = the hard drive and the CD drive. Windows seems to be
comfortable on the first hard disk which is now E.

Thank you very much.

Alvaro
 
Only attach the hard drive that you are going to install Windows on. Only
attach one CD drive. Unplug any unnecessary USB peripherals. Unplug any
other IDE-EIDE devices. Try that.
 
I have two hard drives. At the beginning of the installation they were C and
F. I have two CD drives. At the beginning of the installation they were D
and E. I had a very problematic Windows XP on disk C at the beginning of the
installation. I mounted the system CD on drive E. At the end of the
formatting, drive C was assigned E which was disconcerting. It meant there
were two drives E = the hard drive and the CD drive. Windows seems to be
comfortable on the first hard disk which is now E.

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

Your system drive should ALWAYS be C:\ There are MANY apps
and system issues that are based on the C:\ drive being your
system drive.

You need to disconnect any peripherals (zip drives, external
CD drives, etc, and repartition and reformat so that your
system drive becomes the C drive.


Good luck!


Tallahassee
 
I just installed Windows XP professional. When it came time to format the
hard drive, it did it but assigned the letter E:.
First, What did I do wrong,
Second, How can I fix it?

Thank you very much,
Alvaro
Click to expand...

Totally disconnect (power and signal) the 2nd hard drive and
jumper your main hard drive as a single (master). Disconnect
all external drives, zip or cd. If you have an external hard
drive (usb), turn it off or unplug it.

Partition and format your main hard drive as if you have
only one hard drive.

Once you have your OS (Windows XP ?) installed successfully
(the Desktop), turn the computer off, re jumper the C drive
(your physical drive 1 (logical 0)), as Master with slave
(on my hard drive, it's the 2nd position from the right).

Connect the 2nd hard drive (jumper it as slave, which on my
computer is the middle position), cable it (power and
signal), and AFTER you have your computer up and running
(the Desktop), plug in/reconnect / turn on your zip drives
and your cd drives, in the order you want the drive letters
to be assigned.

As mentioned previously, for system reasons, your OS should
ALWAYS be on your C drive.

I have SEVERAL times gotten my system all set up, and then
when I went to shortcut my drives (I have icons for all my
drives (some 8 peripherals) on my desktop,

I noticed that my system drive was F or J or L, or
something.

It MUST be C:, so I was forced to turn everything off, un
cable, un jumper, and repartition, reformat, and reinstall.


Good luck!


Tallahassee
 
Thank you very much. Can you tgell me what attach means? I have all five
(including a floppy drive A) housed in the same tower. When I turn the
computer on, all drives are available.

Thanks again,
Alvaro
 
It means: Open the case and unplug the power connector from all but the C drive and one CD drive.
 
I just installed Windows XP professional. When it came time to format the
hard drive, it did it but assigned the letter E:.
First, What did I do wrong,
Click to expand...

When you install Windows XP by booting from the installation CD, the
Windows setup program determines what letters are assigned to the
various storage devices according a set of drive enumeration rules
(<http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/c12621675.mspx#ELNAC>Creating
Volumes During Windows XP Professional Setup) that may not necessarily
correspond to that of your old Windows XP installation.
Second, How can I fix it?
Click to expand...

Reinstall. Ensure that the partition on the first hard disk already
exists when you run Windows setup. By doing this, Windows setup will
assign C to that first partition.
 
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