Help
Friend helped us get our desktop working again after crashing. It would restart spontaneously and eventually refused to load windows completely. No longer having these issues, but our Hard Disk Drives are labeled C: recovery and H: local drive. It causes issues when trying to install software. Unless we can manually select where it is installed, the software automatically goes to the recovery drive. We are also getting constant messages that our local memory is low, but it is referring to the C: recovery drive as the local drive. We have plenty of room on the H: local drive.
Is there a way to correct this without reformatting? (I am assuming that is what he did to correct our previous issues)
local disk labeled (H:)
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#2
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 08:08 PM
Let me know if this helps.
To change an existing drive letter on a drive, on a partition, or on a volume, follow these steps:
1. Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Performance and Maintenance.
3. Click Administrative Tools, double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk
Management in the left pane.
4. Right-click the drive, the partition, the logical drive, or the volume that you want to assign a drive letter
to, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
5. Click Change.
6. Click Assign the following drive letter if it is not already selected, click the drive letter that you
want to use, and then click OK.
7. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the drive letter change.
The drive letter of the drive, the partition, or the volume that you specified is changed, and the new drive letter appears in the appropriate drive, partition, or volume in the Disk Management tool.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844
To change an existing drive letter on a drive, on a partition, or on a volume, follow these steps:
1. Log on as Administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Performance and Maintenance.
3. Click Administrative Tools, double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk
Management in the left pane.
4. Right-click the drive, the partition, the logical drive, or the volume that you want to assign a drive letter
to, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
5. Click Change.
6. Click Assign the following drive letter if it is not already selected, click the drive letter that you
want to use, and then click OK.
7. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the drive letter change.
The drive letter of the drive, the partition, or the volume that you specified is changed, and the new drive letter appears in the appropriate drive, partition, or volume in the Disk Management tool.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844
#3
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 08:16 PM
In a word...no.
The only way to change the designation of the C: partition after XP has been installed...is to do a repair or clean install of XP.
Although there are links on the Web which state that it CAN be done...it cannot.
Example: http://www.petri.co.il/change_system_drive..._windows_xp.htm.
The first paragraph of that webpage...basically says what I've said...you cannot. Everything thereafter refers to a circumstance so peculiar that it's really misleading to refer to it.
It may be time to talk to your friend again...really, this should have been brought up long ago when the help was given.
Do you have a MS Genuine XP CD?
Manufacturer and model of the system?
Louis
The only way to change the designation of the C: partition after XP has been installed...is to do a repair or clean install of XP.
Although there are links on the Web which state that it CAN be done...it cannot.
Example: http://www.petri.co.il/change_system_drive..._windows_xp.htm.
The first paragraph of that webpage...basically says what I've said...you cannot. Everything thereafter refers to a circumstance so peculiar that it's really misleading to refer to it.
It may be time to talk to your friend again...really, this should have been brought up long ago when the help was given.
Do you have a MS Genuine XP CD?
Manufacturer and model of the system?
Louis
#4
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 08:41 PM
dc3, it gave me the message "windows cannot modify the drive letter of your system volume or boot volume" when I tried to change it. Thanks for the suggestions
hamluis, we don't have the xp disk. We believe he was able to download it, but aren't sure. The issue was mentioned when he brought it back to us. He said he "wasn't sure why the hard drives were labeled in such a way, but that it wasn't a big deal. It shouldn't effect anything." Since he did at least get it functioning we aren't going to make a stink about it.
It is a Gateway 830GM
hamluis, we don't have the xp disk. We believe he was able to download it, but aren't sure. The issue was mentioned when he brought it back to us. He said he "wasn't sure why the hard drives were labeled in such a way, but that it wasn't a big deal. It shouldn't effect anything." Since he did at least get it functioning we aren't going to make a stink about it.
It is a Gateway 830GM
#5
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 09:16 PM
Geeez hamluis, I wish you would quit beating around the bush and just give me the simple answer.
There's a caveat which I miss... "Changing the drive letter of the system volume or the boot volume is not a built-in feature of the Disk Management snap-in."
This snap-in is what allow you to change the drive letter, but not on the partition that has you operating system on it.
nuf said...
There's a caveat which I miss... "Changing the drive letter of the system volume or the boot volume is not a built-in feature of the Disk Management snap-in."
This snap-in is what allow you to change the drive letter, but not on the partition that has you operating system on it.
nuf said...
#6
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 09:27 PM
When we startup the computer it gives us the option of choosing the operating system. 2 xp are on the list. When I researched this, it appeared to be because 2 xp were installed. Could that be causing the issue? If we select the 2nd xp on the list would it have the same hard drives listed?
#7
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 09:35 PM
The issue of having two XP installs on the boot menu at startup...can be various things.
Could be a failed install, could be an actual install.
You can try the following to see if it clears it up...Removing the invalid entries from Boot.ini - http://windowsxp.mvps.org/bootopt.htm.
If you still reflect two installs after running that, then you really have two Windows folders and two installs.
Louis
Could be a failed install, could be an actual install.
You can try the following to see if it clears it up...Removing the invalid entries from Boot.ini - http://windowsxp.mvps.org/bootopt.htm.
If you still reflect two installs after running that, then you really have two Windows folders and two installs.
Louis
#8
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Posted 13 September 2010 - 09:45 PM
sweet! only one xp to choose from. It did give me the option to choose still. Between xp and an "unidentified operating system on drive c"
#9
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 03:52 AM
Can you post a screenshot from Disk Management?
I've never seen any message about an "unidentified operating system", but I don't have the most extensive experience in the world.
Louis
I've never seen any message about an "unidentified operating system", but I don't have the most extensive experience in the world.
Louis
#10
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 07:38 AM
I don't know how to do a screen shot
#11
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 08:11 AM
My error, see following.
To take a screeen shot...just press the Print Screen key when viewing what you want to capture. This stores the image in memory.
Then you can use a program like Irfanview to reduce the size of the graphic and save it as a .jpg file.
Once you have a saved .jpg, you can simply upload it as an attachment on your next post.
More detailed directions, http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-take-and-share-a-screen-shot-in-windows/.
Louis
To take a screeen shot...just press the Print Screen key when viewing what you want to capture. This stores the image in memory.
Then you can use a program like Irfanview to reduce the size of the graphic and save it as a .jpg file.
Once you have a saved .jpg, you can simply upload it as an attachment on your next post.
More detailed directions, http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-take-and-share-a-screen-shot-in-windows/.
Louis
#12
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 10:58 AM
okay, learned something new today. screenshot attached. We again have 2 xp when we startup. Unsure why the 2nd one showed up again
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disk_management_screen_shot.jpg (152.38K)
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#13
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 11:07 AM
Thanks 
.
Take a look at your D: partition and tell me if there are two folders marked "Windows". If there are, one of them probably has a number after it, such as "Windows.000".
Louis
.Take a look at your D: partition and tell me if there are two folders marked "Windows". If there are, one of them probably has a number after it, such as "Windows.000".
Louis
#14
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 12:12 PM
D: is just marked as removable, but under c:recovery there is a windows folder marked "$WINDOWS.~LS"
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Posted 14 September 2010 - 12:39 PM
Sorry, I got confused...I meant H: rather than D:. D: is your optical drive.
From Explorer, see how many Windows folders there are there...on your H: partition.
Thanks.
Louis
From Explorer, see how many Windows folders there are there...on your H: partition.
Thanks.
Louis
