Windows 10: Replacing a hard drive but keeping the drive letter?

I want to replace the secondary hard drive in my PC with a bigger one because I need more storage space. Can I just plug in the new one, copy all my stuff to it, then unplug the old one and assign the old drive letter to the new one? Or will that cause problems? I'd like to keep the old one as a backup of the data I have on there with the option to plug it back in if necessary.

The one I want to replace is not my main hard drive, there is no Windows on there, mostly games and some programs to save space on my main drive.

submitted by /u/Gexxys
[link] [comments]

:)

 

External Hard Drive "is not accessible"

Hi Ridhwan,

Sorry for the delayed response. Let me continue to assist you further.

The issue here could have been due to fact that the Drive I:\ is encrypted or a flush drive. This forces the computer to not recognize the format and displays the error message. I suggest here to follow the steps below and check if it helps.

• Press Windows Key + letter 'X.'
• Choose 'Disk Management.'
• Right click on the External drive and select 'Change Drive letter and Path names.'
• Rename the drive letter i.e. remove letter I and say you replace it with letter
  J.
• Restart the computer and check the issue status.

Hope this helps. Please reply for further queries on this.

 

2nd and 3rd hard drives show two drive Letters

Hi Bill

My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

Did you go through these steps to assign the drive letters you prefer?

Press Windows key + X

Click Disk Management

If you see your drive listed there, but no drive letter, right click it

Click Change Drive Letter and Paths

Click Add

Click Assign the following drive letter

Click in the Drive letter list box

Choose a drive letter - try choosing letters near the end of the alphabet

Click OK

Click OK again

 

help. USB drive isn't assigned a drive letter.

Any usb flash drive I plug into my computer isn't assigned a drive letter. The physical drive shows in the "safely remove hardware" but it doesnt show up in disk management. I have tried to populate the volume thru the safely remove hardware properties window and it does pop up in the list but it doesn't stay there. This isn't a format or assign a letter problem. It's more complicated then that. Maybe one of the services needed for usb drive management was disabled? Suggestions needed. btw external usb harddrives work fine.