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SJH · Aug 3, 2004, 13:33

OK, strange problem, let's start from the beginning (always helps).

Today I got an Apple iPod. After charging it and tearing my hair out for several hours trying to work out why it wouldn't work with my computer, I found with the help of Google that it doesn't work when Windows is installed on a drive letter other than C - mine is on drive F (don't ask, I must've been drunk when putting this thing together!).

Anyway another bit of searching and this came up. It mentions changing the drive letter on Windows. Fantastic! Except...

Quote:

One cannot assign a new letter to the boot partition/drive.

Bugger. Guessing this is because Windows needs to be able to find its system files and it won't be able to do that if I've changed the drive letter

Anyway, what are my options here? I've been meaning to buy a new drive for a while so maybe this is something to do shortly...but is there something I can do in the short term to change my drive F to drive C without wrecking the filenames and everything?

Any help would be much appreciated...as I have a very sexy gadget sitting next to me which I can't use!

-Sam

cfm · Aug 3, 2004, 13:34

Er... no. You're going to need to reformat the disk and repartition.

SJH · Aug 3, 2004, 13:35

Woohoo!

Oh well, off to the hard drive shop I go

Thanks for the help.

-Sam

cfm · Aug 3, 2004, 13:37

Sorry I couldn't actually offer any useful advice...

SteveO · Aug 3, 2004, 15:02

Just another bit of info to toss in there. I have an ipod on the PC and I have my XP installed on D: and ProgramFiles dir on E: and music stored on F: and I managed to install it fine. (It won't update to the new version but it did originally install alright)

cfm · Aug 3, 2004, 15:32

Odd. Is your iPod a third-generation fifteen-gigabyte model?

SJH · Aug 3, 2004, 16:04

Actually in all honesty I did sort of go wrong a couple of times and I need to restore it to factory settings *embarrassed*

cfm · Aug 3, 2004, 16:18

Don't be. I've been there many times myself.

compwizard · Aug 9, 2004, 19:14

you can reassign the drive letters w/o reformatting though

compwizard · Aug 9, 2004, 19:15

look here:
http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips506.html

Dan Grossman · Aug 9, 2004, 20:02

There are ways to change the drive letter of the boot partition but doing so basically screws up Windows royally to the point of not booting up. I've done it, bad idea.

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Aug 3, 2004, 13:34	#2
cfm SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 4,250	Er... no. You're going to need to reformat the disk and repartition.

Aug 3, 2004, 13:35	#3
SJH SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bristol, UK Posts: 2,196	Woohoo! Oh well, off to the hard drive shop I go Thanks for the help. -Sam

Aug 3, 2004, 13:37	#4
cfm SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 4,250	Sorry I couldn't actually offer any useful advice...

Aug 3, 2004, 15:02	#5
SteveO SitePoint Guru Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: UK Posts: 632	Just another bit of info to toss in there. I have an ipod on the PC and I have my XP installed on D: and ProgramFiles dir on E: and music stored on F: and I managed to install it fine. (It won't update to the new version but it did originally install alright)

Aug 3, 2004, 15:32	#6
cfm SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 4,250	Odd. Is your iPod a third-generation fifteen-gigabyte model?

Aug 3, 2004, 16:04	#7
SJH SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bristol, UK Posts: 2,196	Actually in all honesty I did sort of go wrong a couple of times and I need to restore it to factory settings embarrassed

Aug 3, 2004, 16:18	#8
cfm SitePoint Wizard Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 4,250	Don't be. I've been there many times myself.

Aug 9, 2004, 19:14	#9
compwizard SitePoint Guru Join Date: May 2002 Location: United States Posts: 663	you can reassign the drive letters w/o reformatting though

Aug 9, 2004, 19:15	#10
compwizard SitePoint Guru Join Date: May 2002 Location: United States Posts: 663	look here: http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_tips506.html

Aug 9, 2004, 20:02	#11
Dan Grossman Follow Me On Twitter: @djg Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Philadephia, PA Posts: 19,742	There are ways to change the drive letter of the boot partition but doing so basically screws up Windows royally to the point of not booting up. I've done it, bad idea.