Change or Delete Windows Drive Letters - DriveLetterView

Drive Letters in Windows Operating Systems

Within Windows environments, both internal hard drive partitions and external drives – including optical drives and USB flash drives – are designated using drive letters ranging from A to Z.

Certain letters are pre-allocated for specific purposes. For instance, A and B were historically reserved for floppy drives, while C is conventionally assigned to the active primary partition.

This primary partition generally houses the operating system itself. Subsequent partitions and optical drives are then allocated available letters in sequence.

Dynamic Assignment of Drive Letters

Removable drives are assigned drive letters dynamically, based on what is currently available. A USB flash drive, when connected as the sole external device, might be assigned the letter G.

However, if an external hard drive is subsequently connected and claims the letter G, the USB drive will then be assigned the next available letter, such as H.

This illustrates that drive letter assignments for removable media are not fixed and can change depending on the connected devices.

Permanently Assigning Drive Letters

There are instances where a consistent, permanent drive letter assignment is preferred. Consider a scenario involving an automated backup routine utilizing an external hard drive as the storage destination.

If the backup process is configured with a specific path based on a particular drive letter, any change to that assignment could lead to backup failures.

To prevent such disruptions, Windows allows users to permanently assign drive letters to selected devices, ensuring consistent access and reliable operation of applications like backups.

DriveLetterView: A Comprehensive Overview

DriveLetterView is a free software application designed for Windows operating systems. It presents users with a detailed listing of both currently connected and previously connected storage devices, alongside their assigned drive letters.

This utility empowers users to manage drive letter assignments. Specifically, it allows for the removal of drive letters from devices that are no longer connected, and the modification of drive letters for those that are.

Key Features and Functionality

DriveLetterView offers the capability to export comprehensive drive letter information. This data, including assigned drives and associated properties, can be saved in several formats.

• Simple Text File
• CSV (Comma Separated Values)
• XML (Extensible Markup Language)
• HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

Installation and Usage

The software is distributed as a ZIP archive. As a portable tool, installation is not required. Simply extract the contents of the archive.

To launch the application, execute the EXE file with administrator privileges. This will display a list of your drives, mirroring the view found within the Windows operating system.

It is important to note that some anti-virus programs may incorrectly flag DriveLetterView as malware. In such instances, this is typically a false positive!

Managing Drive Letter Assignments

The application allows for the deletion of drive letters associated with devices that are currently disconnected. This action frees up those drive letters for reassignment.

Subsequently, these available drive letters can be assigned to other devices present in the list.

Limitations

DriveLetterView is not designed to alter the drive letter of a system's primary, local hard drive. Attempts to modify the drive letter of a local hard drive will not be successful.

Managing Drives in Windows

It is indeed possible to assign drive letters within the Windows operating system without relying on external software. However, this functionality necessitates that the target device is currently connected to the system.

For Windows 7 users, initiating the process involves pressing the [WINDOWS] + [R] keys simultaneously. This will open the Run dialog, where you should type > compmgmt.msc and execute the command.

Accessing Disk Management

The Computer Management window will then appear. Navigate through the left-hand pane to > Storage and subsequently select > Disk Management.