JSI Tip 4341. Drive letter missing or confusing after installing a fixed or removable device?

If you map a drive letter to the next drive letter after your CD-ROM, and subsequently install a Removable Storage device, the new drive letter may not appear in Windows Explorer?

If you persistently map a drive letter to the next letter after your CD-ROM, this condition will happen if you add a new hard drive.

NOTE: You can see the new drive in Device Manager.

This problem occurs because the Mount Manger fails to see the mapped drive and assigns the new drive the same letter as the mapped drive, causing a collision.

During a collision with a removable device, Windows Explorer will show the mapped drive letter and the network share's context.

During a collision with a hard drive, Windows Explorer will show the mapped drive letter and the contents of the new hard drive.

To fix this problem:

1. Right-click My Computer and press Manage.

2. Expand Computer Management, expand Storage, and press Disk Management.

3. Right-click the new drive letter and press Change Drive Letter and Paths.

4. Press Change or Edit and select a new higher unused drive letter.

5. Press OK and OK.

NOTE: Windows Explorer will be updated.