[Virtualacorn-list] VRPC on a USB drive

[Alan Adams]

In message <441E2CFBB84D4CDC8F3EEB1AB6DFDE88 at philipsdesktop>
          "T.O.M.S." <toms at ndirect.co.uk> wrote:


> At 01:06 on 27 Aug, Jeremy Nicoll - ml virtualacorn jn.ml.vac.83 at
> wingsandbeaks.org.uk said:

>  (answers in reverse order):

>> Does the USB drive get the same drive letter every time it's
>> connected?

> Unfortunately, not necessarily. The plug-in drive will pick up the
> next-available drive letter. So if (say) another object such as a USB
> memory stick has previously been plugged in, that will have claimed
> the next letter (say E:). Then when the USB hard disc drive is plugged
> in, it should in theory claim the following letter F:, and so on.

> This *may* have knock-on effect on shortcuts (see below), so if
> possible it's best to plug in the hard drive before anything else.

You can override this. Plug in the drive, go into Disk Management, and 
assign a drtive letter which is higher that any likely to be 
autopmatically assigned. What appears to happen is that Windows 
remembers the drive ID parameters, and when given them during 
plug'n'pray, reassigns the manually assigned letter. It will fail if 
the drive letter is already in use, which is why it is best to use a 
high one.

Icidentally Windows won't automatically assign a letter which is 
higher than any mapped network drive letter. This can result in rnning 
out of drive letters unexpectedly. For example hard drive C, CD drive 
D. Map a network drive to E, and no USB drive will work.

<snip>

-- 
Alan Adams, from Northamptonshire
alan at adamshome.org.uk
http://www.nckc.org.uk/