Local Disc (F:)

"kmayes" wrote in message

> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
> shown as (F drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
> because my (C drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
> drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the
system
> all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
> doesn't happen again.
>
> Thanks


Sounds like you rebooted with both drives attached after you clone the
drive.

What you will need to do is reclone your drive...
then *prior* to rebooting...remove the original drive and put the new one in
it's place.

To be on the safe side...you may want to entirely disconnect your zip drive
while doing that

I only have one drive installed as the old one crashed on me.

"philo" wrote:

>
> "kmayes" wrote in message
>
> > I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
> > shown as (F drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
> > because my (C drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
> > drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the
> system
> > all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
> > doesn't happen again.
> >
> > Thanks
>
>
> Sounds like you rebooted with both drives attached after you clone the
> drive.
>
> What you will need to do is reclone your drive...
> then *prior* to rebooting...remove the original drive and put the new one in
> it's place.
>
> To be on the safe side...you may want to entirely disconnect your zip drive
> while doing that
>
>
>

Ken wrote on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:24:43 -0700:

??>> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro.
??>> Now my drive is shown as (F drive. I want to install
??>> several Programs but cannot do it because my (C drive is
??>> now my Zip drive.

KBM> There may be an occasional poorly-written program that
KBM> won't install anywhere but on C:, but I haven't seen one
KBM> in a long time. The great majority of installations let
KBM> you change whatever the default is, and specify where you
KBM> want to install the, Please check again; you will probably
KBM> find that you can do this easily.

KBM> My first hard drive is also F: (for complicated reasons
KBM> that I don't want to go into). I have never had *any*
KBM> problems with that setup, and have never an installation
KBM> fail as a result.

??>> I also cannot change letters in
??>> drive management.

KBM> Correct. You can change any drive letter except the one
KBM> Windows is installed on.

??>> What would be my solution to this short of doing the
??>> system all over again.

KBM> There is no other solution, but you are trying to solve a
KBM> problem that probably doesn't exist.

??>> If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
??>> doesn't happen again.

KBM> Disconnect the other drives before starting installation,
KBM> then reconnect them afterward.

My machine is becoming a little old and has Windows 97 on C: and
the working system Windows XP on D: for reasons that seemed
suitable at the time. I have never had any problems apart from
an occasional ignorant program *offering* to instal itself on C:
It has never been necessary to accept the suggestion.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

What I am trying to install is an HP printer an also the drivers for my
GForce 4 video card. So can I change the location that my printer goes to
from C: to my F: drive? I dont think I can change the location for my video
card.

"James Silverton" wrote:

> Ken wrote on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:24:43 -0700:
>
> ??>> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro.
> ??>> Now my drive is shown as (F drive. I want to install
> ??>> several Programs but cannot do it because my (C drive is
> ??>> now my Zip drive.
>
> KBM> There may be an occasional poorly-written program that
> KBM> won't install anywhere but on C:, but I haven't seen one
> KBM> in a long time. The great majority of installations let
> KBM> you change whatever the default is, and specify where you
> KBM> want to install the, Please check again; you will probably
> KBM> find that you can do this easily.
>
> KBM> My first hard drive is also F: (for complicated reasons
> KBM> that I don't want to go into). I have never had *any*
> KBM> problems with that setup, and have never an installation
> KBM> fail as a result.
>
> ??>> I also cannot change letters in
> ??>> drive management.
>
> KBM> Correct. You can change any drive letter except the one
> KBM> Windows is installed on.
>
> ??>> What would be my solution to this short of doing the
> ??>> system all over again.
>
> KBM> There is no other solution, but you are trying to solve a
> KBM> problem that probably doesn't exist.
>
> ??>> If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
> ??>> doesn't happen again.
>
> KBM> Disconnect the other drives before starting installation,
> KBM> then reconnect them afterward.
>
> My machine is becoming a little old and has Windows 97 on C: and
> the working system Windows XP on D: for reasons that seemed
> suitable at the time. I have never had any problems apart from
> an occasional ignorant program *offering* to instal itself on C:
> It has never been necessary to accept the suggestion.
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> E-mail, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
>
>

"kmayes" wrote in message

>I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
> shown as (F drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
> because my (C drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
> drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the
> system
> all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
> doesn't happen again.
>
> Thanks


kmayes:
Although as you've heard from a number of responders that it's not crucial
that your system (boot) drive be designated as the C: drive and you can live
with your system (boot) drive as the F: drive, our experience in a Windows
environment tells us that for a variety of reasons it *is* most desirable
for your system (boot) drive to have the C: letter designation.

As you have discovered you cannot use XP's disk management utility to change
your system (boot) drive from F: to C:. While there have been some published
hacks indicating that registry modifications can achieve this change, we
have never found these changes reliable.

So my advice would be that if it's practical for you to do so, "bite the
bullet" and perform a fresh install of the XP OS. As I'm sure you recognize,
should you do this, all your programs will need to be subsequently
reinstalled. Presumably before undertaking a fresh install of the OS you
will copy off your F: drive your user-created data to some removable media,
so that shouldn't be a problem in later transferring that data to your
freshly-installed OS.

So you will have to decide whether a fresh install is practical under your
present circumstances.

Should you go that route, remember to disconnect your ZIP drive and any
other storage devices, e.g., another HDD should one be installed, *before*
undertaking a fresh install of the OS. That's what probably caused your
problem in the first place, i.e., your ZIP drive was connected and the XP
setup process designated it as your C: drive.
Anna

kmayes wrote:
> I recently installed a new hard drive and Windows XP Pro. Now my drive is
> shown as (F drive. I want to install several Programs but cannot do it
> because my (C drive is now my Zip drive. I also cannot change letters in
> drive management. What would be my solution to this short of doing the system
> all over again. If I have to do it all over again, how do I make sure it
> doesn't happen again.
>
> Thanks
I'd like to hear a global explanation of why this happens and what to do
about it.
With Win98, I could switch drives around in my system, use boot managers
that swizzled drive letters, basically do anything I wanted and the
system would still boot. With Win2K and XP, moving drives around
confuses the OS so it can't tell where it is. Boots part way and
then gives a STOP error...it says it can't find the drive it's been
execting programs from...game over. Reinstall time.
I'd like to be able to plug a second ide drive in/out without having
to reinstall windows...
mike

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