This probably has a simple answer but I don't know it

[Monketey Ghost]

I just got my computer cleaned up at a computer store. I had a new memory card installed to increase the speed, and it sure enough took the speed from lethargic to fairly peppy depending on what's going on.

Anyways, I plugged everything back in. I may have switched a couple of USB cables to different ports by mistake...

My external hard drive was designated as 'F', and that is no longer the case. The computer tells me it's 'G' now, and all the music files in WMPlayer that refer to 'F' can't find a thing... understandably.

So, two solutions: 1) Find a way to change all the 'F' designations on Windows Media Player to 'G'. Or 2) Redesignate my external drive back to 'F' somehow using Windows. My Computer> ...?

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Does "My Computer" show something else as the F: drive? If so, use the safely remove feature to remove all USB devices, physically detach them and then replace one at a time such that the drive you want as F: is attached in sequence at the correct point.

If this does not work, someone else with better understanding of Bill's Fine Product will ask you a lot more questions and fix it for you. :D

[Monketey Ghost]

F is listed as unused. I'm gonna just switch things around and see. Wish I knew which port in the back was the one I want. I had no idea...

[negativ]

I just got my computer cleaned up at a computer store. I had a new memory card installed to increase the speed, and it sure enough took the speed from lethargic to fairly peppy depending on what's going on.

Anyways, I plugged everything back in. I may have switched a couple of USB cables to different ports by mistake...

My external hard drive was designated as 'F', and that is no longer the case. The computer tells me it's 'G' now, and all the music files in WMPlayer that refer to 'F' can't find a thing... understandably.

So, two solutions: 1) Find a way to change all the 'F' designations on Windows Media Player to 'G'. Or 2) Redesignate my external drive back to 'F' somehow using Windows. My Computer> ...?

Right-click "My Computer" and choose "Manage". Go to Disk Management. Find your external drive, right-click on it, choose "Change drive letter and paths."

[a_unique_person]

You can reassign the disk letters using the 'Manage' option.

Select "My Computer", right click. Select "Manage". Select "Disk Manager".
Right click on the disk you want to change on the top right panel of the disks on your computer.

If the letter "F" is already assigned, give drive that is using that letter a different letter by right clicking on that drive and selecting the "Change drive letter and paths" option.

Now that you have freed up the letter "F", right on the external drive with the letter "G", and use "Change drive letter and paths" to "G" to "F".

[a_unique_person]

F is listed as unused. I'm gonna just switch things around and see. Wish I knew which port in the back was the one I want. I had no idea...

All USB ports are the same, it's the order you plugged in the external drive that determines which letter it gets.

[Monketey Ghost]

Bingo. Changed the drive path. Thanks folks! It's good to have that easy again.

Now, another question: anybody know of a good player that's better than WMP that will play wma's AND transfer the information I've edited into each track (title, album, special notations etc.)?

[Monketey Ghost]

All USB ports are the same, it's the order you plugged in the external drive that determines which letter it gets.

I've started to realize this dimly in the back of my brain.


*Dog is on chain, chain is wrapped around the tree again. Dog looks at tree, back at you, again at the tree. Gives you pathetic whimper of bafflement*

[a_unique_person]

I've started to realize this dimly in the back of my brain.


*Dog is on chain, chain is wrapped around the tree again. Dog looks at tree, back at you, again at the tree. Gives you pathetic whimper of bafflement*

The USB ports don't have a fixed drive letter assigned to them. If you have only one external drive, you can plug it into any port and it will be given the same drive letter.

If you have two external drives, the first one plugged into any port gets the first letter available, the next drive plugged in gets the next letter available.

[Monketey Ghost]

I think what happened maybe, then, was that I use a dongle-attached Sprint Aircard, and I plugged it in before the external drive (whose name is Stu Grimson for those who'd grin)

[negativ]

Bingo. Changed the drive path. Thanks folks! It's good to have that easy again.

Now, another question: anybody know of a good player that's better than WMP that will play wma's AND transfer the information I've edited into each track (title, album, special notations etc.)?

Try VLC (http://www.videolan.org/).

[Earthborn]

What I think most likely happened is that someone in the computer shop plugged in a USB stick or external hard drive, perhaps to run some diagnostic tool or something. That one got designated the letter "F:", and now Windows thinks your hard drive is a second one and gives it the letter "G:". Plug in a USB stick and you'll probably find it will be "F:". Windows has some sort of algorithm to automatically assign drive letters to drives and even to keep the same letter for the same drive even if it is plugged in, plugged out, switched around... There is probably some logic involved, but I haven't figured out exactly what it is.

Luckily as negativ says, you can assign drive letters yourself.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

It's 2009 and still no one has fixed Windows so it asks what drive letter you would like to use, defaulting to the next available. Duh.

~~ Paul

[GreNME]

It's 2009 and still no one has fixed Windows so it asks what drive letter you would like to use, defaulting to the next available. Duh.

~~ Paul

That would be because there's really no need to. Windows is really the only major operating system that mounts drives like that, so it's not like there's some standard out there that designates operating systems should do as you say.

If you like, though, I'm sure a script can be made that prompts you for such an input when a USB drive is plugged in. Seems fairly simple, logic-wise.

[Soapy Sam]

Fill all USB ports except one with superglue.

Problem solved.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

That would be because there's really no need to. Windows is really the only major operating system that mounts drives like that, so it's not like there's some standard out there that designates operating systems should do as you say.
Huh? Who cares about a standard? I just think Windows should do it. And if Windows is the only OS that assigns letters like this, then Windows is the only OS that needs to prompt. What's a standard got to do with it?

What does Unix do?


If you like, though, I'm sure a script can be made that prompts you for such an input when a USB drive is plugged in. Seems fairly simple, logic-wise.
Ooh, cool. How do I write such a script?

~~ Paul

[GreNME]

Huh? Who cares about a standard? I just think Windows should do it. And if Windows is the only OS that assigns letters like this, then Windows is the only OS that needs to prompt. What's a standard got to do with it?

What does Unix do?

Mounts a drive directly onto the main file system. No new file system created.

If you like, though, I'm sure a script can be made that prompts you for such an input when a USB drive is plugged in. Seems fairly simple, logic-wise.
Ooh, cool. How do I write such a script?

Easiest (and not most elegant) way: create a VBScript to run through the scheduler when a USB drive is created that asks for a selection of available drive letters, and then using Diskpart (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb905578.aspx) re-assigns the drive that letter. That wouldn't be fool-proof (if, in fact, that drive letter is used by something else), but it's one possible speculation as to how it could be done.

The diskpart utility is designed to be script-able, and serves precisely this purpose.

[Reeco]

Huh? Who cares about a standard? I just think Windows should do it. And if Windows is the only OS that assigns letters like this, then Windows is the only OS that needs to prompt. What's a standard got to do with it?

What does Unix do?


Ooh, cool. How do I write such a script?

~~ Paul

I think Windows shouldn't do it. The vast majority of Windows users couldn't care less what letters their drives are assigned, and those that do have an easy way of managing it.

[Corpse Cruncher]

Bingo. Changed the drive path. Thanks folks! It's good to have that easy again.

Now, another question: anybody know of a good player that's better than WMP that will play wma's AND transfer the information I've edited into each track (title, album, special notations etc.)?

I prefer to use media monkey (http://www.mediamonkey.com/) as it is multi compatible even with ipod. I have the gold version which does a bit more than the free version. It does a scan and imports everything similiar to WMP

VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/)is another good free one, ideal for playing films etc.

[a_unique_person]

It does get weird sometimes. I will insert a USB disk, and it won't appear. When I open up disk manager, Windows has somehow assigned a duplicate drive letter to it.