OT- Hard Disk Formatting- Drive letter problem

[Ben B]

I wondered if the geniuses at BOO could come up trumps again with a little technical query-

I'm formatting a fresh Hard drive for a fresh instalation of Windows, but without giving me any option, it's gone ahead and given the new partition the letter I:\ when obviously I'd like it to be C:\

It seems it's taken all the CD drives, plus all the USB card-reader (it's a built in one) slots and given them priority before the new drive.

What's the best way round this. I encountered this ince before, but can't for the life of me remember how to get round it!

Shall I just go into the BIOS and turn off every other device until the format has been done?
Is this a common problem?

Thanks!

Ben B

 

[Iceash]

Hard Disk

Thats a new on me, I'd as you'd say turn off all the other parts before you format so that then the drive get's C letter. Have you set the bios to auto detect hardware?

Iceash

 

[Smee]

Re: Hard Disk

if u go in to the bios can u not select which letter devises are. just set all other devises to zxyw etc

Smee

 

[Iceash]

Hard Disk

Normally Drive letters are asigned by Windows, I've never come across the bios doing that before.

Iceash

 

[Smee]

Re: Hard Disk

i dunno i cant remember never had this problem

lol

smee

 

[Gary]

Re: Hard Disk

I had a simular problem when I made a new partition, it gave it a drive letter I didn't want it to have and using a program like partition magic, I was able to play around and change the drive letters, just a thought, it might work for you too.

Gary

 

[Bravo-Dan]

Re: Hard Disk

Shut down your computer, unplug all your drives apart from the new h/d, maybe try a reset your bios with the jumper on the mobo and turn on your computer, check if its back to C:, if it works then shut it down and connect your other drives.

I have had this problem before but I cant remember if I had to do a fresh install with the other drives unpluged.

Is the new drive an IDE or SATA? I think I had this problem because I was installing a SATA drive.

Dan

I dont know if disabling the other drives in bios would work or not, I think I disconnected mine.

 

[Conrad]

Re: Hard Disk

Are you formatting it from within Windows? If there are already drives with assigned letters, it will pick the next free letter available. If instead, you format it after booting from the Windows CD it should label it C:

However, AFAIK, what ever you do if you already have a C: drive in the machine then there is no way you can call the newly formated drive C as well. You cannot have 2 drives with the same letter

Conrad

 

[Russell Gregg]

Ok, if you have already got windows installed - open the control panel, select "Administrative tools" - "Computer Management" - Disk Management"

this will give you an overview of all the drives on your machine, you can then right click on a given partition/drive and choose the option "change drive letter and paths"

quite simply done

Russ

 

[Ben B]

Yeah, I know that, except it won't let you change the letter of the drive windows is installed on.

The problem I've got isn't with windows. This is a fresh hard disk that I'm installing the 1st copy of windows on (Not a second instalation)

Well it's not letting me restart the instalation, so I'm gonna have to go ahead and complete the entire windows instalation, then when it's let me finish I'll turn off all other drives and reformat the whole thing again! Hopefully it'll give me a C: drive this time!

Ben B

 

[Bravo-Dan]

you wont have to do another fresh install, just change the bios when it reboots next.

also you will be restart setup, just make sure the windows disk is set as 1 or first in the boot order in bios.

have you changed the jumper on the back of the h/d to primary, this will need to be done.

Dan

 

[Anonymous]

1. Reset BIOS.

2. Unplug all devices apart from the new HDD.

3. Ensure the new HDD is primary master.

4. Plug in your CD/DVD drive and boot from it to start the windows installation.

5. Get as far as (and complete) the create partition part then turn off your PC.

6. Plug all your other devices back in and continue the installation of Windows (or you can leave them unplugged until the installation has completed, then install them from within Windows)

Job done

Daz

 

[Chris]

Screw that!

Your HDD will be primary anyway. Just reset bios and format again. Should be sorted! If not, right click the drive in my computer and rename it lol

 

[Ben B]

People are misunderstanding! I can't right-click on any drive, cos Windows isn't installed yet! I'm talking about a fresh instalation on a fresh drive in a new machine!

Anyway- I've fixed it now!
I took the drive out, stuck it into another PC and formatted it to loose the partial instalation of Windows that was on it, then restarted the Windows instalation on it again (with all the other drives turned off) and it's called it C: this time

Ben B

 

[Conrad]

Hurray!