Need help reallocating drives

[bluebox1]

I just put together a new system, an Intel Q9400 on a Gigabyte EP 45-UD3P. I also included a multiple slot card reader for downloading pictures. When I installed Windows XP Pro It skipped over the 500 Gig SATA hard drive and labeled the card reader drives as (C through (H. How do I fix this? The computer works fine the CD drive is (D and the SATA drive is (I. I am old school and want the main hard drive to be (C. I have built other computers with a card reader have never experienced this before. Any suggestions? Should I tinker with the bios? Or should I just leave it alone?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Don't plug in the card reader until after you've installed XP to the "C" drive.

 

[bluebox1]

OK, I've got that figured out. What can I do now? Should I buy a new hard drive?, or can I change the drive alloccations?

 

[Nothinman]

Either leave it as is because it's not a problem or reinstall, you can't reassign the system or boot drive letters.

 

[logicmaster2003]

I think what Calvin says was.. boot windows WITHOUT the card reader, then see if your 500GB drive shows up as drive C. If it is, then shutdown and add the card reader then reboot and check again.

You might also want to try your 500GB on another sata port

I'm home sick so i'll be here if u need anything

 

[C1]

What you want is this:

Microsoft Knowledge Based Article 223188

Change the System/Boot Drive Letter

Log on as an Administrator.
Start Regedt32.exe.
Go to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

Click MountedDevices.
On the Security menu, click Permissions.
Verify that Administrators have full control. Change this back when you are finished with these steps.
Quit Regedt32.exe, and then start Regedit.exe.
Locate the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

Find the drive letter you want to change to (new). Look for "\DosDevices\C:".
Right-click \DosDevices\C:, and then click Rename.

Note You must use Regedit instead of Regedt32 to rename this registry key.
Rename it to an unused drive letter "\DosDevices\Z:".

This frees up drive letter C.
Find the drive letter you want changed. Look for "\DosDevices\D:".
Right-click \DosDevices\D:, and then click Rename.
Rename it to the appropriate (new) drive letter "\DosDevices\C:".
Click the value for \DosDevices\Z:, click Rename, and then name it back to "\DosDevices\D:".
Quit Regedit, and then start Regedt32.

Change the permissions back to the previous setting for Administrators (this should probably be Read Only).
Restart the computer.

PS: Ive had to use this once or twice so I know that it works

 

[RebateMonger]

Unplug the memory card slots and re-install Windows from scratch.

For the future, when doing a fresh install of Windows, disconnect anything that Windows might see as a hard drive, install Windows, and then re-connect the other drives.