How to assign a PERMANET letter to my external HDD?


  1. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
       #1

    How to assign a PERMANET letter to my external HDD?


    Here you will see my problem:
    Windows 10 not assigning letters to my drive. - YouTube

    sorry for low quality.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 42,945
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #2

    How do you make sure your external drive is always allocated the same letter?

    Easy.
    a. Pick a letter, any letter - so long as it's late in teh alphabet and wil never be used. Let's say R (e.g. for Macrium Reflect disk images - everyone should be using disk imaging....)
    b. Change the drive letter of your USB disk to R in Disk Management.

    Job done. Next time you plug it in, it will be allocated R.

    Make sure you don't use that letter for any other disk.

    (Note: there is a better way with Macrium Reflect to use the hardware id of the disk).
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    dalchina said:
    How do you make sure your external drive is always allocated the same letter?

    Easy.
    a. Pick a letter, any letter - so long as it's late in teh alphabet and wil never be used. Let's say R (e.g. for Macrium Reflect disk images - everyone should be using disk imaging....)
    b. Change the drive letter of your USB disk to R in Disk Management.

    Job done. Next time you plug it in, it will be allocated R.

    Make sure you don't use that letter for any other disk.

    (Note: there is a better way with Macrium Reflect to use the hardware id of the disk).
    Look at the video I linked in the OP.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 42,945
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    Thank you for the reply. That's the way to do it.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 31,611
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #5

    negru555 said:
    Look at the video I linked in the OP.
    Welcome to TenForums @negru555

    I looked carefully at the video. I noticed that you just unplugged the HDD.

    For some reason your Windows is still showing a 'Local disk (E:)' after you removed it. Windows is not recognising that the drive has been removed. It seems that it already thinks it has a drive E: so it is unable to assign that letter to the drive when you plug it back in.

    To get Windows to release the drive letter when you remove the HDD, try ejecting the HDD before removing it. The 'Safely remove Hardware and Eject Media' icon should be on the taskbar near the Clock. I don't see it on your video, so you may need to click the 'Show hidden icons' arrow to find it, shown as < on your taskbar.

    PS: sometimes when Windows is not behaving as it should (like not recognising that a drive has been removed) then a Restart may fix it. It has to be a Restart (not just a Shut down) because that's the only way to do a full boot from cold if Fast Start up is in use.
    Last edited by Bree; 05 Jul 2018 at 06:48. Reason: PS:
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Bree said:
    Welcome to TenForums @negru555

    I looked carefully at the video. I noticed that you just unplugged the HDD.

    For some reason your Windows is still showing a 'Local disk (E:)' after you removed it. Windows is not recognising that the drive has been removed. It seems that it already thinks it has a drive E: so it is unable to assign that letter to the drive when you plug it back in.

    To get Windows to release the drive letter when you remove the HDD, try ejecting the HDD before removing it. The 'Safely remove Hardware and Eject Media' icon should be on the taskbar near the Clock. I don't see it on your video, so you may need to click the 'Show hidden icons' arrow to find it, shown as < on your taskbar.

    PS: sometimes when Windows is not behaving as it should (like not recognising that a drive has been removed) then a Restart may fix it. It has to be a Restart (not just a Shut down) because that's the only way to do a full boot from cold if Fast Start up is in use.
    Thanks.My problem was from my HDD aparently.I deleted the partition and created a new one using the software made by my hdd manufacture and now everything is working.
    Thanks for help.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 31,611
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #7

    negru555 said:
    Thanks.My problem was from my HDD aparently...

    Ah, there had to be a reason Windows wasn't releasing the drive letter for further use. Glad to hear you got it sorted.
      My Computers


 

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