Hard drive problem

[fastmike]

I fitted a new Hitachi 500 gig HDD today, after installing XP the HDD is drive "E"..... any idea how I change it to drive "C" please ?
I only had k/board and mouse connected up during installation

[chris19992]

Right click on the my computer icon on the desktop then click manage, click on disk management then right click on the drive you want to change and you will see change drive letter and paths.

Hope that helps

[kompukare]

For a non-booting drive using Disk Management is fine. However, changing the boot drive's letter is not that simple since Windows can get rather confused then.

Have a look at this:
http://www.petri.co.il/change_system...windows_xp.htm
and
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188
Since it's a new install you're probably best to re-install again from stratch but this time disconnect the old drive first (I'm assuming that you had left your old drive plugged in while re-installing).

[duc]

See here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188

*edit* Pipped at the post

[fastmike]

I disconnected the old drive before installing the new one.... I also tried a reinstall lol

[kompukare]

I disconnected the old drive before installing the new one.... I also tried a reinstall lol

Oh, then Windows must either be looking at your registry somehow (well it the drive was blank if can't be that) or you have either some kind of USB drive or more likely a card reader connected.

Therefore, if you disconnect the card reader and then re-install...

[fastmike]

there is no card reader connected...... in fact all I have connected is a mouse and k/board

[kompukare]

there is no card reader connected...... in fact all I have connected is a mouse and k/board

Oh, there goes that theory. So if your install is E:, I assume that the optical is drive D: but what (if anything) is assigned to drive letter C: ?

[fastmike]

There is NO drive C :|

[fastmike]

I,m wonderin g if its the Motherboard causing this problem ?

[kompukare]

There is NO drive C :|

And the install drive was totally empty? Very strange, Windows should not skip drive C: when it assigns drive letters without any reason. Of course, most software should be okay running with SystemDrive=E but there might be the occasional program which is assumes C: and doesn't check. You can use Disk Management to give drive E: the drive letter C: as well so that E: and C: are the same.
Found someone who had the same problem back in 2004 but there was no solution posted:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...9307_35_0.html
In one other thread (http://www.velocityreviews.com/forum...-drive-xp.html) somebody suggested this:
"Had to re-format, but this time rather than let the XP installation do
the format (which for some unknown reason turns the C to F), I formatted
with win98se floppy, so I could make sure the disc was definitely set to
C initially. Then let the installation upgrade to NTFS."
Which <MIGHT> work...

[fastmike]

ok . please allow me to expand on this a bit.... the original HDD wouldnt let me defrag in windows.... no idea why , it just stopped allowing me.... when I tried to install the new and empty HDD it decided to be drive "E" . after reformatting it .... I get a message incorrect file path or hardware conflict..... I took the new HDD to my sons and connected it to his PC and reformatted it and reinstalled XP , then refitted it to my PC and it " seeems" to be ok .... ( sits pulling hair out )