Solved Change letter of the boot drive or the system drive

[Contro]

Change letter of the boot drive or the system drive

Under xp pro is possible but I haven't try under windows 7 64 bits.

xp is possible according to

How to restore the system/boot drive letter in Windows

Do you know the procedure ?

Best Regards

P.D. I have seen a pair of post in this forum but I was not able to determine....

 

[edwar]

It seems to be the same. But why on earth did you want to do this.

 

[Britton30]

Warning Do not use the procedure that is described in this article to change a drive on a computer where the drive letter has not changed. If you do so, you may not be able to start your operating system. Follow the procedure that is described in this article only to recover from a drive letter change, not to change an existing computer drive to something else. Back up your registry keys before you make this change.

you should re-read that article. Do Not change you system drive letter form C;\.

 

[AddRAM]

Never change your boot drive letter :shock:

 

[gregrocker]

It will most certainly ruin Win7 beyond repair.

What exactly is it you want to achieve?

 

[Contro]

I have several times installed xp on the same pc.
My idea is do the same now with the w7 system.
Under xp I haven't had any problem changing the letter of the system, or the letter of the boot.

 

[Layback Bear]

Because I'm a lost puppy in the pound. Contro let me know if I understand you correctly. You want to install Windows 7 several times on the same computer at the same time. You are desiring different drive letters for each install. Is this correct?

 

[Britton30]

One important caveat, W7 is not XP.
Any drive w7 is installed on will become the C;\ drive.

 

[Contro]

I am trying to remember what I did.

This is my plan with the help of everyone.

I have seven hard drives on my pc under windows xp pro.
One of these drives have partitions. In some of those partitions I have installed six times windows xp pro.



At the present moment I think I have made my first mistake according to your considerations.

I have installed w7.64 over STo (that's the letter I: in the old structure).

What can I do ? I think the best option is substitute the present systems disk. The present one is 1 TB. One of 1.50 TB possible would be fine. Or even 2 TB.

Make provisional partitions in the new disk and make certain the first installation goes to the C: partition in the new disk where the bcdedit.exe must be.
That will be my first system under windows 7 with the new boot. I have security copy of all about the c:\ at this moment.

This are by custom my installation letters : C: , D: , F: , I: , M: , N:

mmmm

What I did ?

I have a dvd unit

I will connect to the mother board the system disk when install over C: . And the dvd.

Then install a second system on D:

Then connect the second hard drive. Select one with only one partition.

That occupies the letter E:

I will install then over the partition F:

Then connect the third hard drive to get the installation letter I:

Install in the system disk the fourth system.

(I suppose I can even restore an acronis security copy from the old pc hard drive with my retail version of xp)(but this is not necessary)(So I would install w7.64bits in the fourth system)

Then connect a new hard drive to get the letter M:

And installs over the letter M: . There goes my main system.

And then installs over the letter N: in a new partition in the system disk.

Ufff.

I think this was I did with windows xp pro.

But I remember was not so simple. By any reason a system may be seen from other with a different letter I have to change.

And that is the case the kb223188 because initially was C: and in other system is another letter.

But this is not my present situation. Because I made the mistake to install over I: the new windows 7. And now is really C:

Possibly I can restore image copies and have security copies of the boot.ini.

But this is irrelevant with the plan to change the system disk to another more confortable.

Can I do this with windows 7 64 bits professional edition ?

Note : So many systems are the result of my little trauma with xp. At the present moment I have over 60 virtual machines under virtualbox. Possibly so many systems perfectly installed is not necessary, but i am very used to call M: my main system and I am not a programmer but have many scripts pointing to that letter.

 

[Contro]

One important caveat, W7 is not XP.
Any drive w7 is installed on will become the C;\ drive.

Owwwww. Hurts.


What happens if I install twice or three w7 on the same pc then ?

I use a CRM that many links point to the letter M: where my main system is.

 

[Contro]

I am remembering now my portatil.
Comes with windows 7.64 bits premium edition.
I install a dual boot with windows xp pro.
I have written somewhere the process I made, but the result was :
I have to change the boot system to GAG .
May be in correlation with the fact w7 always over C: ?

Is not possible to install twice w7 in the same pc ?

The portatil operation was hard because the system w7 was preinstalled in the portatil.

 

[logicearth]

You can dual boot with multiple copies of Windows 7. However, the drive will always be labeled under C: depending on which one (Windows 7 install) you are currently booted into. You do not need to change the driver letters to dual boot Windows 7. Just install it like normal to an empty partition.

 

[Britton30]

Well Contro, I have no answer for you but maybe someone else can help you out of the situation.
Wouldn't it be better to have only one OS and then 6 data drives? I don't understand the need for multiple w7 on one machine.
Yes! Logicearth has it. You can install to any partition but the one you boot with will always be C: even if when it is not booted to it is, say, R.

 

[Layback Bear]

Contro you are certainly creative. I'm not sure how you can do this and 60 virtual machines (your post #9) at the same time with your system specs. I can't help you but I surly will be watching because I'm curious.

 

[Contro]

Because I'm a lost puppy in the pound. Contro let me know if I understand you correctly. You want to install Windows 7 several times on the same computer at the same time. You are desiring different drive letters for each install. Is this correct?

That's the point.
I have seen a post about dual (2) installation of w7 in the same pc.

But according to this post considerations from each of these systems the installation disk letter will always be the same C: from inside that system ?

 

[Contro]

Contro you are certainly creative. I'm not sure how you can do this and 60 virtual machines (your post #9) at the same time with your system specs. I can't help you but I surly will be watching because I'm curious.

Ouwwww. It's simple. I want my virtual machines running windows xp pro sp3 under windows 7 64 bits. I use a lot of software and my systems allways get in trouble with so many scripts.

Windows 7 is my way to "simplicity".

I was thinking about windows 8 preview, but seems too green. So my SAT give me a seven disk to make proofs.

 

[Contro]

Well Contro, I have no answer for you but maybe someone else can help you out of the situation.
Wouldn't it be better to have only one OS and then 6 data drives? I don't understand the need for multiple w7 on one machine.
Yes! Logicearth has it. You can install to any partition but the one you boot with will always be C: even if when it is not booted to it is, say, R.

I can explain this. I have several windows xp pro systems because I use one system for proofs. Another system for work, other for ocium, etc.
I have these six systems before I began to use virtual machines.
I am very used to this working way. Even I have a partition for ubuntu.

 

[Britton30]

You only really need one OS to do all of that. You would just have to have your work, other for ocium, etc on separate partitions and disks to access them from w7. If you have w7 Ultimate or Enterprise, you can install XP mode which is a XP OS in a VM.

 

[Layback Bear]

Your post #16
So my SAT give me a seven disk to make proofs.
Remember me I'm the puppy. I don't understand this.

 

[Contro]

You can dual boot with multiple copies of Windows 7. However, the drive will always be labeled under C: depending on which one (Windows 7 install) you are currently booted into. You do not need to change the driver letters to dual boot Windows 7. Just install it like normal to an empty partition.

I understand this.
Then . If I have six systems running windows 7.64 bits I can remap all units except the system unit.
This is not necessarily the boot disk.
I try to explain my experiments.

I enter in the disk management and began to change letter asignment until receive the error message (I don't remember now)(ouwwww, i have to document better....) when try the system disk over the windows 7 is installed (the letter c.

I am supposing (and possible i am wrong) this :

Initially :

c: with the boot.ini
i: System Tomas in my language of partitions with windows xp pro sp3

I installed with the the windows 7 dvd over the letter i: System Tomas (my first system under w7)

My question is : Where is bcdedit.exe now ?

I was supposing that file on my c: with the boot.ini. But I think i am wrong.

Why ? Because after install w7 , an from inside w7 the unit I: come to be precisely the unit C: initial.

And precisely the unit I: come to be C: after install w7 over it.

But I can change the inicial c: with the boot.ini from inside w7. That is . After install w7 the initial letteer becomes I: . I change that letter for G:

I have read somewhere that If I try to reassign the letter C: now to I: from the system unit I will destroy the system. Reassign the letter with the trick kb223188

But that is not the starting point assumed in the kb233188 i think.
I am not familiarized with windows 7 and don't know where the bcdedit.exe file is.

The new boot mantain an entry to the prior windows versions where mantain my 5 systems under xp, ubuntu and the console.

But repeat ubuntu and the console under the windows 7 entry.

I can post a photo is necessary.

Nevertheless I would like your opinion about the validity of this post :

windows 7 - Reassigning drive letter for cloned system partition - Super User

Best Regards