XP Drive Volume Changes

[easydog]

I have two SATA drives.... a 250Gig as C and an 80 gig currently as E. Both drives have been buklt with the XP Home Edition image as I wanted to make sure each drive was funtioning. Of course, through careful planning, I would
now like to change the 250 gig drive and make it something else, D for example, and then make the 80 gig drive my default boot disk, C.
Microsofy articles frown on changing these. Is there anyway to change these without having to reformat and rebuild?

Thanks much
Easydog.....

 

[Rik]

Do you mean within windows or for setting up of windows?

For setting up windows, the easiest thing to do is just have the one you want windows on installed only.

Within windows you can right click on "my computer", select manage, then storage, then disk management, and change drive letters to your hearts content. Ive found xp to be pretty good at sorting programs out when drive letters are changed unlike most other versions of windows. ( I said most, not all, because i haven't used all versions of windows).

 

[easydog]

Thanks RIK.... but the following occurs:

If I boot from C drive then I can change the drive letter on E drive
If I boot from E, I XP will not allow either to be changed because
"You can not change the drive letter on the system volume or boot volume"

It never allows C to be changed and if E gets booted, disallows E as well.
This is not the end of the world as we know it, but would have preferred if to be changed.

Thanks
easydog ....

 

[Rik]

No, it wont allow that at all, the boot info has to be on the c drive.
The only way you will get around that is by swapping them around on the data cables, generally the c drive will be the drive on the end of the primary.

 

[easydog]

Well.... These are SATA drives. Each with its own cable of course.
Actually, I tried last night to switch the SATA ports, and the system couldn't find a boot device .... I don't unerstand that one.
I guess I will live with it as is ................

Thanks again .... not a giant deal.
easydog

 

[Rik]

Sorry, you did say they were sata. I would conclud that only one of them is setup to be bootable. Sorry i didnt spot that, but im in the uk and its 20 to 1 in the morning, and im off to bed in a mo.