2 Windows, both showing C drive??

[giantman]

I've installed Windows 7 on two different partitions, both are on the same drive. When I boot into each version of windows they both show C:\ as the partition. Each one has a different login password, so I know that I'm logging into two different windows on two different partitions.

When on Windows(1) another installation of windows is shown on D:\
When on Windows(2) another second installation of windows is also shown on D:\

But I've installed each Windows on two different partitions.

Why are they both displaying that they're installed on C:\ on both windows 1 and windows 2? Crazy.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I believe Windows 7 will show the system volume as C for each OS, even if that partition/drive is different.

I have to ask, because there is always a better way...but why on Earth would you burn an extra license installing the same OS on the same computer twice?

 

[whs]

I think that is normal. I have Win7 and Vista on 2 different harddrives on the same PC. And there it is the same. When I am in Win7, it occupies C and Vista is E. When I am in Vista, it is the other way around.

 

[giantman]

Are you sure?

Before I posted this I was getting ready for war with bootable CD's, bootkit detection utility's, security analyzers, vulnerability patchers, scripts, firewalls...

lol...sure it's normal?

 

[giantman]

Doesn't sound normal.

What if I WANT it to display as D:\....why would a partition display as C when the name of the partition is D.

You guys must be in on it.

 

[1Bowtie]

Because the os alway takes C: when your logged on

 

[whs]

Have a look at my Disk Management. E is Vista, C is Win7 where I currently am.

 

[MacGyvr]

Drive letters are dependent on the OS itself, so yes, what you are seeing is normal. Just to clarify, the OS drive does not HAVE to be C:, but it will be in most cases.

 

[severedsolo]

Windows will always see itself as C:\ regardless. The Drive letters are OS dependant not Drive dependant. In reality the letters don't really exist they are just friendly names so we can identify them easily.

To answer your question, if you want it to be D then you can change it using Disk Management (Start>Right click Computer>Manage>Storage>Disk management) but there is no real reason to do this, and in fact quite a good reason not to.

When you install a program, by default, it will try and install itself to C:\ (in 99% of cases) unless you want to go through changing the default path every time, then every program will end up dumping itself on the "C" drive regardless of which OS it's installed on. Organisational nightmare. not to mention the fact that if you have the same program installed on both OS's then you will get a file conflict because it will just overwrite the program that was there before (or fail to install, varies by program)

In short: If it aint broke, don't fix it.

 

[gregrocker]

Do not attempt to change your drive letter using any method unless it loses it during reimaging or repair (then use Paragon Rescue CD). It will brick your OS.

The only way to install Win7 so that it doesn't conveniently always see itself as C is if you install it from another runnning OS which is lettered C.

Booting the installer to install will always result in Win7 being C when you are in it.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello giantman, welcome to Seven Forums!



That's normal though Windows will not allow the boot partition drive letter to be changed or removed.

click to enlarge

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