HDD not there after re-boot

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

  1. Posts : 283
    Windows 7 X64 Professional
       #1

    HDD not there after re-boot


    This is on a fresh Windows 7 install with 2 brand new drives...I was running out of space.

    I have 2 drives in my laptop. The boot drive (C) is a SSD and the data drive ( D ) is a regular old spinny drive. Whenever I re-boot, the dvd drive forgets the drive letter I assigned it (E), the data drive ( D ) disappears and the dvd drive reverts back to ( D ). I have to open the computer manager and reassign the dvd drive letter to E and re-scan for the data drive and then log out/in to get everything back as it should be. Everything is fine till I re-boot then, I have to do it all again. Any ideas?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #2

    Well bug how about downloading Partition Wizard and reassigning the letters mate as most machines I have had assign D: to the optical

    Start Partition Wizard right click on the partition a list will drop down > choose change the letter you can repeat this as many times as you like.

    To change the letter for the optical you will have to change through Windows . I take it you assigned D for data when you put that letter on the spinner - in my pic my spinner is X:

    You might have to disconnect the data drive while you do the optical first.

    Best Free Partition Manager Freeware and free partition magic for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista and Windows XP 32 bit & 64 bit. MiniTool Free Partition Manager Software Home Edition. < very handy tool to keep
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails HDD not there after re-boot-pw2.png  
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 283
    Windows 7 X64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #3

    I have changed the optical drive to "E". I was then able to assign the spinner the letter "D". I was able to do all that within Disk Management.

    When I reboot, the spinner is gone and the optical forgot that it was renamed and reverts to "D".
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails HDD not there after re-boot-drives.png  
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 24,479
    Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
       #4

    I may be wrong but I believe Windows reserves drive letters, such as A,B,C, and D. C is the drive the OS is currently running on, A and B are for floppy drives, and D will be for the first optical drive installed. Any drives installed after you have the C and D taken will be assigned E.
    So I think you could give the HDD any letter other than A,B,C, or D and it will "stick".
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 283
    Windows 7 X64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Britton30 said:
    I may be wrong but I believe Windows reserves drive letters, such as A,B,C, and D. C is the drive the OS is currently running on, A and B are for floppy drives, and D will be for the first optical drive installed. Any drives installed after you have the C and D taken will be assigned E.
    So I think you could give the HDD any letter other than A,B,C, or D and it will "stick".
    Hmm. I've always changed the drive letters to whatever so I can have my data drive labeled as "D." However, I guess I'll change it to "X" or something and see what happens...now that I've got everything linked to the "D" drive.

    EDIT:

    Yeah, as soon as I changed the drive letter, all my links went away and programs couldn't find bits they needed.
    Last edited by bug67; 10 Apr 2013 at 04:16.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #6

    Yep Britton is right mate and sort of what I said before now did you try the Partition Wizard and do what I indicated on your non optical drives from it because as I said opticals are not listed because they do not have storage media as such in them for example like the spinning disk inside a HDD (magnetic coated disk)

    If you got the optical to be D: then PW will NOT let you used D: for anything nor will it let you change C: for the OS / boot drive or use it on any other drive as Britton says by default drives are assigned by the Windows and I stand to be corrected by most other software OS's.

    Go in and pull up the drives and run that right click on the partitions and this time hit "explore" it will or should (unless the drive is dead) list what is in each of any of those partitions.

    It can be a good way of transferring data from what you thin maybe a dying drive to some other storage drive installed in the machine albeit internal or external.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 283
    Windows 7 X64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #7

    None of this is making sense. I've done my hard drive's this way since the dawn of time and never had any problems. Downloading Partition Wizard as ICit2lol suggests but, really, I'm not understanding why the way it's worked for me since the dawn of time isn't working this time.
    Last edited by bug67; 11 Apr 2013 at 10:42. Reason: spelling and grammar
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #8

    Bug look mate just because it has always worked in the past doesn't mean it will work until the end of time.

    Not being personal or having a go at you mate but getting worked up and stressed out by this I will admit annoying issue is not helping you at all. I found out a long time ago that tearing into a problem willy nilly is not the way to approach a problem and one has to think simple first because I am guilty as many others before me of thinking that there is some dreadfully wrong when it really can be worked through a little slower and with a little bit of logic.

    Look if you would rather me not take part in this thread then please say so I have no "agenda" and truly I will not be offended at all. I am just saying that you should try what I would try if were my own machine and if you think it is wrong or too much trouble to do then I am not forcing you to do anything, only trying to help you out of a hole in which you are stuck.

    Let me know what you want to do I am only too pleased to carry on but if you are unhappy then we had better leave it here
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 283
    Windows 7 X64 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #9

    ICit2lol,

    Wow! I'm not getting "worked up and stressed out". Where did that come from?
    I tried your suggestion with the 3rd party drive utility. The verdict on weather it worked or not is still out.

    What I'd like to know is, why it's not working like it has in the past? I've changed drives on this machine and others many, many times. I have always been able to re-label the various drives to my satisfaction without issue. That's my question. What's different this time? Nothing as far as I can tell. Do you know? Any suggestions? How you got that I'm "worked up and stressed out" by asking questions is beyond me.

    As to weather you care to continue trying to help or not, that's entirely up to you. I appreciate you trying.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 13,576
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #10

    I always change my opticals to the last letters of the alphabet, X, Y, Z etc. Never had a problem with it.
    That way the partitions are laid out C, D, E , F etc.
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:40.
Find Us