Added SATA HD and removed 1 IDE HD, drive lettering not correct - help!

[Kurt@BInvisions]

My Primary SATA Hard Drive with Windows XP installed is showing up as E: Drive, while master IDE Hard Drive is showing up as C:.

The original setup was with two IDE Hard Drives, but I wanted to add this SATA Hard Drive. So I removed the Slave HD on the primary IDE channel, and simply connected the SATA Hard Drive, setting its jumper as Master.

So, I now have:
1x SATA HD set to Master (E
1x Primary IDE 0 HD set to Master (C
2x Secondary IDE DVD Burners, IDE 0 set to Master, IDE 1 set to Slave. (G: and H:, respectively - skipping F for my thumbdrive).

I can't change my SATA Hard Drive to C: through Disk Management because it is telling me that you can't change disk letters on disks that are the system volume or boot volume.

SATA is set as the primary channel in my BIOS, and IDE is set as secondary.

It boots up to my SATA installation, which is good, but I want it to be drive C:.

PLEASE tell me what I can do.

 

[Drakan290]

It's true. You can't change system drive letters.

You'll have to reinstall or mess with nt loader, which I don't recommend. It seems like you just re-installed anyway, why not try again.

For future reference, only keep the drive you want to install windows on plugged in while installing. It eliminates any mistakes you may make.

 

[Kurt@BInvisions]

It's true. You can't change system drive letters.

You'll have to reinstall or mess with nt loader, which I don't recommend. It seems like you just re-installed anyway, why not try again.

For future reference, only keep the drive you want to install windows on plugged in while installing. It eliminates any mistakes you may make.

Thank you so much for your quick response. I have homework to do and want to get this mess figured out.

That is really good to know. I did just reinstall, but also just spent an hour reinstalling all of my programs after Windows finished

But not a huge deal, thank you for letting me know about only having the single drive plugged in, you've been a huge help.

 

[Drakan290]

Hopefully you haven't logged out yet, but here's an idea.
If you have a spare older PC (you have IDE drives so you probably have something that will work with them) make an image of your current drive.
Install the image onto your new PC via network boot, with something like Norton Ghost.
You don't lose any installed drivers etc, and it saves lots of time. If you ever want to re-install you just loadup the image also.

 

[Kurt@BInvisions]

I had already logged out. Just reinstalled Windows and have pretty much everything installed again.

My drives are just how I want them.

I really appreciate your effort and help. And as far as making images of my Hard Drive - I've ALWAYS wanted to try that. I used to see the computer techs at my school install images on Hard Drives onto dozens of PCs in a fraction of the time it would normally take. I just never had a situation I needed to try it in. But, I do have an extra PC that isn't being used, and I think I'll give that a try.

Thanks again, man.