3.2.4.2. Drive letter for new device in Windows XP
The information applies to:
· Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
· Microsoft Windows XP Professional
· Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
Symptoms - When you have mapped network drives and you try to use a newly installed Removable Storage device, the drive that relates to this device does not appear in Windows Explorer. However, it does appear under Computer Management (Local)>Storage>Disk Management.
NOTE: This also occurs when you add a physical hard drive or CD ROM to the system when a persistent mapped network drive is setup for the user logging onto the system.
Cause - This behavior can occur if you map a network drive to the next available drive letter after the local volumes and cd rom drives have been assigned drive letters. When the new removable device is added, Mount Manager, which assigns drive letters to volumes, does not recognize the mapped network drive and assigns the next available drive letter to the removable device, thus causing a collision with the existing mapped drive.
Resolution - To resolve this behavior, specify a different drive letter for the Removable Device:
1. Click Start on the taskbar, then right-click My Computer on the desktop or from the Start menu, and then click Manage.
2. Under Computer Management, click Disk Management.
3. In the list of drives in the right pane, right-click the Removable Device and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
4. Click Change, and in the drop-down box, specify a drive letter for the Removable Device, choosing one that is not assigned to the mapped network drives.
5. Click OK, and then click OK again.
This change automatically updates Windows Explorer, which now shows both the mapped network drives and the recently installed Removable Device. Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.