Getting boot drive as C: with card readers unattended help

[beady]

hi, my problem is the boot drive loads up as H: or so instead of C: (with card reader drives c:, d: etc), irrespective of whether or not this matters i need it to be C:

I'd like to know who has experienced this problem and solved it without unplugging/disabling their card readers or other and how they fixed it or if you haven't and would like to help the boot drive needs to be forced as C: somehow, or if not the boot drive than the card readers forced as other drive letters maybe, I'm not sure exactly when this is set in stone or when it can be changed.

the idea is that I can forget to disable/remove the card readers since I install XP on alot of PCs with them, though I don't have alot of resources to test things with really

maybe its even possible to just remove the mass storage text drivers for card readers only or something before XP's partition manager creation, though that depends where, when and why this actually happens.

anyways, thanks for any and all replies.

[Henkes]

How do you use the card reader to install Windows XP on machines?

If you boot a PE environment you can use winnt32 /unattend:locationofwinnt.sif /s:sourcedirectory /sypart:c: /tempdrive:c

This copies the temporary files needed for the text based setup to the C drive, reboots and starts the installation from the C drive.

Hope this helps

-Henk

[jaconbue]

You can try to enter the Setup Bios Program Utility, pressing SUPR at boot.

Next, you should disable the Card Reader, USB slots, etc.

Install Windows as normal and the main partition should be C:

After that, you can reboot, reenter Setup Bios Program and enable Card Reader, Usb, etc.

Windows detects the Card Reader, installs it automatically and assign the first available letter.

PD. Sorry for my english, I'm spanish

[Henkes]

I think he uses his USB HD/stick to install Windows in the first place, so disabling it in the BIOS will result to not being able to boot the setup...

Maybe it's an option to first boot a Pre-Boot environment like Windows PE, in which you run Diskpart to create and format partitions on your hard-drive and change the drive letter of your usb device. And after that call Winnt32.exe from te installation source (with or without unattended switches)

[mikep56]

Hi Beady,

I had the exact same problem with a system that I just built. I installed the HD, optical drive, and card readers, and my boot drive ended up being H:. There were several suggestions as what to do, but in the end I just disconnected the card readers, did a quick format, which took less than 1 minute, and did a reinstall of XP Pro (unattended, of course). Less than 20 minutes my system was back as it was supposed to be.

Sorry that it isn't the answer you were looking for, but this is the way to go.

Regards,

Mike