Computer question

Factual Questions
1

Prognosis: my comp has developed an advanced case of binary dementia.

Physical drives: 2 HD’s 2Gb and 6Gb, 1 CD drive.
It has mixed up my logical drives as follows:

Original configuration: HD1 = C:, HD2 = D:, CDD = E:
Messed up for no apparent reason config: HD1 = C:, HD2 = E:, CDD = D:.

The registry of course maintains the old drive letters making it impossible to do anything.

I considered the possibility of a virus, but have no internet connection, and have not loaded any new software in ages.

Could anyone supply a possible cause or solution (other than re-installing Windows) to this annoying problem. Thanks.

2

What version of Windows are you running?

3

Go to the device manager and go to the properties of the CDD and you will see you can reserve a letter for it forcing the second HDD to take a later letter. maybe this got selected for some reason.

4

Number: I am running Win 98.

5

Win98 has the drive letters assigned the same way they are in DOS: HD0 primary = C, HD1 Primary =D, HD0 extended/logical = E, etc. The CD gets assigned a drive letter by Win98 since DOS has no inherent support for CD’s. WinNT/2K/XP can assign drive letters any way you want.

Try this: force the CD to a lower drive letter, like F. Reboot and see what your second HD letter is. If it’s where you want it then force the CD to letter E.

6

If nothing else works, go to start->settings->control panel find the System icon and under the hardware tab delete the CDRom and/or the d: drive hard drive. I don’t think you can delete the C: drive unless you boot in safe mode, but don’t delete it anyway.

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7

Actually W98 assigns drive letters as determined by FDISK. Try deleting your CD-ROM drive to see if things are restored.

8

>> Actually W98 assigns drive letters as determined by FDISK. Try deleting your CD-ROM drive to see if things are restored.

What? Can you verify that? In my computer WIN98 assigns drive letters in ways which have nothing to do with Fdisk.