USB key in XP on domain, user access, gives mapped drive letter

[urbanriot]

This is more security related... but also network, I suppose.

I have a domain user, with user level access to his workstation, that needs to insert and remove many USB keys. The problem - Windows XP will occasionally give him mapped drive letters for his USB keys, thus completely preventing him from being able to access the USB device. Since he's not an administrator, he doesn't have access to change the drive letter... and giving users admin access is out of the question.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[da sponge]

Only thing we've done is change our mapped drive letters further along the alphabet. XP picks the first free drive letter (but it only looks at local disk drive letters).

 

[Haleiwa]

We had the same problem at the school district where I work. We found this little program and has mad my life so much easier. It's called USBDLM. It's free for educational use and very cheap otherwise. Here is what the website says about it:

USBDLM is a Windows service that gives control over Window's drive letter assignment for USB drives. Running as service makes it independent of the logged on user's privileges, so there is no need to give the users the privilege to change drive letters.
It automatically solves conflicts between USB drives and network or subst drives of the currently logged on user.
Furthermore you can define new default letters for USB drives and much more.

You can find it here:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

 

[urbanriot]

Only thing we've done is change our mapped drive letters further along the alphabet. XP picks the first free drive letter (but it only looks at local disk drive letters).

Unfortunately, Windows behaviour is a little more eratic. It seems to 'bump up' the letter for different flash drives, and since he has more than one, it'll eventually go up to the first drive that's mapped which is H:. E: - G: is clear, and it won't always pick those. Sometimes it won't even give a drive letter without administrative access.

You can find it here:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

That looks like exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks man!


If anyone else has any other suggestions, I'd still be interested in hearing them.