I CAN'T FORMAT. XP DETECTED DRIVES IN WRONG ORDER ARGH. F*ck!

[Casheti]

I boot from my XP disk, and when it detects drives it puts them in completely the wrong order, so I don't know which one to choose in case I format the wrong one.

This is how they ACTUALLY are:

http://img.techpowerup.org/070828/diskdrives.png

and this is how the XP setup sees them:

http://img.techpowerup.org/070828/DSC01738.jpg

http://img.techpowerup.org/070828/DSC01739.jpg

I need to fix this fast cos I need to format, but I haven't a clue what's going wrong.

Any thoughts?

(P.S. I don't have a floppy drive installed so God knows why one shows up in "My Computer")

And it keeps saying I'm unplugging stuff and plugging stuff in on my Audio Control panel, even in sockets that are empty...

[newtekie1]

Just physically unplug all the drives except the one you want to format.

Edit: Oh wait, that is just one drive partitioned isn't it...

[Casheti]

Yes it is. And it's really pissing me off why it's doing all this.

[Mediocre]

I go by free space and disk partition size.

You have 3 different partition sizes, but each one has a unique amount free space...

The screenshot you posted has the drive names listed (actual windows names) like games/documents/downloads.

Also the second screenshot (the one of the windows install) shows that the 'existing' installation is on D:

I'd setup on the D: drive....

[Casheti]

Yea but I don't want to risk losing all the data I have on one partition.

Just cos it says these letters now doesn't mean they won't change, or that it's accurate.

I just wanna get them in the right order first, I don't trust it to identify each drive by free space.

[Jimmy 2004]

Do what Mediocre says, look at the size and free space, that should be right. TBH, I bet the names are right and the letters are wrong.

[DRDNA]

Do what newtekie1 said to do .

[Darknova]

Cash mate...it says the NAME of the partition....you don't want to install it on Documents, Games or Downloads....so you want Partition 3, or the one with no name.

[Mediocre]

I don't think you can get them in the right order til you boot after the fresh install.

And even then I don't know how to do it.

I have 2 drives, when I installed the very first time it put the OS on C:

The last 2 installs have put the OS on D: :confused:


IMO, ID the drives by free space...that CANNOT change (drastically) just by reset and boot from XP CD...

I ALWAYS (regardless of have a 'data' drive and 'OS' drive) backup the important stuff when I do a fresh install...Just in case.

If you back it up efficiently there aren't any worries...

[Casheti]

Hmm okay I'll do it but if I lose anything on my data partitions I'll cry :(

And here's the audio jacks spazzing out:

http://rapidshare.com/files/51880541/MOV01740.rar

Unfortunately I didn't catch it at a very active time.

Now it's going ballistic rofl.

[kwchang007]

Do they free space and how large the partitions are check.

[niko084]

Ya let it install to what its calling D..

Remember windows assigns a drive letter, its not physically written to the drive.

Beyond that, why in the world would you partition a drive out like that?
I could understand if you were running different file systems.

[keakar]

Ya let it install to what its calling D..

Remember windows assigns a drive letter, its not physically written to the drive.

Beyond that, why in the world would you partition a drive out like that?
I could understand if you were running different file systems.

i agree with niko084 you are not gaining anything by partitioning the drive to do what you are doing. if anything it might slow it down a tad even. for what you are doing skip the extra partitions and just do a single partition install.

[EnglishLion]

I guess he's partitioned like that so he can re-format in chunks without affecting the others - i.e. like he's doing now, reinstalling the OS without affecting docs etc.

[Casheti]

Yea um now it's still fucked up after I've formatted.

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2392/wtfol7.png

Someone help me fix it :cry:

[Casheti]

Hmm I've worked out a way to fix it, just involves some serious re arranging and copying of huge amounts of files xD

[niko084]

Yea um now it's still fucked up after I've formatted.

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2392/wtfol7.png

Someone help me fix it :cry:

Re-assign your drive letters..

Drive letters are assigned by Windows... NOT HARDWARE
Therefore the new install can call them Anything they want..

[Darknova]

The thing with reinstalling windows, is that unless you have specifically set a drive letter then Windows sets teh first drive to C:\, even if you install to another drive.

I lived for about 6 months with my main drive being D:\ because of that.

That's why I unplug all devices before installing, then plug them back in after. In this case it's much harder. I don't think there is any way to change what drive letter is uses for your install.

[Grings]

you can change the drive letter in disk management, you might need to rename the c drive to g before you can make the local disk c

[niko084]

you can change the drive letter in disk management, you might need to rename the c drive to g before you can make the local disk c

Remember if you do so, odds are you will be editing a lot of registry entries also.

[Casheti]

Re-assign your drive letters..

Drive letters are assigned by Windows... NOT HARDWARE
Therefore the new install can call them Anything they want..

Can't change the drive letters for C or D.

I'm just having to re arrange loads of stuff.

I've just moved the contents of C to E and now I'll install windows on C and move all the Documents I moved from C to E, to D, once I've formatted D.

And yes I made that confusing on purpose.

[niko084]

Can't change the drive letters for C or D.

I'm just having to re arrange loads of stuff.

I've just moved the contents of C to E and now I'll install windows on C and move all the Documents I moved from C to E, to D, once I've formatted D.

And yes I made that confusing on purpose.

I'm sure because its a royal headache of a mess and well just a mess...
Good luck.

[Mediocre]

This might make you cry (after all the work that has already been put forth)...

But:


Windows Website: Changing your drive letters (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844)

:toast:

[Casheti]

This might make you cry (after all the work that has already been put forth)...

But:


Windows Website: Changing your drive letters (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844)

:toast:

That doesn't work with the main drives. It denies access.

[Casheti]

But now I have a new problem.

I can't format my D drive which still contains Windows XP.

It won't let me format it, what can I do?