# Why does my network drive keep changing letters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057 "2010-07-09T03:04:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pearson\_Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pearson_flyer/32/7241_2.png) [@Pearson\_Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearson_Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057/1 "2010-07-09T03:04:19Z")
Ok, this is really beginning to annoy me, so it’s time to hit up the brain trust. I have an HTPC, and a Western Digital MyBook 1tb external drive. I’m running Windows XP on it, and XBMC. I have the drive plugged into my router, and the HTPC plugged into the router - they’re not directly connected, but neither of them is connected wirelessly. The annoying thing about the WD drives, that I didn’t know before I bought it, is that it requires software to connect. You have to install this stupid MioNet software to connect to it. I hate it. But fine, whatever. I have this mapped to my M drive (high enough where it shouldn’t change, since the only drive on the HTPC is the C drive, there’s no DVD or anything else). When I have to reboot the machine (updates, whatever), the drive randomly gets remapped to the K drive, or it may stay the M drive. Only one or the other, and it almost always switches. I try getting it back by rebooting, multiple times, and it never does it when I want it to of course. This means that every time I reboot, I have to re-associate the TV shows and movies in XBMC, and re-import them, and it’s really kind of a pain (it forgets what I’ve watched already, and takes an hour or so, and makes me want to throw my hard drive out the nearest window). So, does anyone have any ideas on how to keep my external drive from switching drive letters? If it keeps doing this, I’m going to have a very expensive pile of broken electronics. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057/2 "2010-07-09T03:45:51Z")
Have you tried instead re-assigning the drive letter? ---
**Author:** ![Pearson\_Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pearson_flyer/32/7241_2.png) [@Pearson\_Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearson_Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057/3 "2010-07-09T04:07:21Z")
The trouble with the MioNet software is that it seems to be the culprit, choosing the drive letter to use. I just don’t understand how anyone can have a WD external drive that they depend on a consistent drive assignment for without going crazy. It’s maddening. ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057/4 "2010-07-09T04:59:56Z")
This page has some useful information and links about your problem: > **[Mionet -\> Freezes Windows XP , Vista and Windows 7 with Microsoft Security...](http://dorsetsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/03/mionet-freezes-windows-xp-vista-and.html)** > > This article : notes that Mionet freezes / blue screens on Windows operating systems with Symantec or Kapersky antivirus installed I can ... ---
**Author:** ![Pearson\_Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pearson_flyer/32/7241_2.png) [@Pearson\_Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearson_Flyer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-network-drive-keep-changing-letters/546057/5 "2010-07-09T11:28:01Z")
That’s really good information, LouiseE. I hadn’t seen that before. Thank you! Will give that a shot right. now.