Anoneh's Blog

How to create a mounted drive or change a drive letter

This is from Microsoft knowledgebase but with some additional stuff added by me.

To mount a volume:

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type compmgmt.msc in the Open box.
2. In the left pane, click Disk Management. you can also type DISKMGMT.MSC
3. Right-click the partition or volume that you want to mount, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
4. Click Add.
5. Click Mount in the following empty NTFS folder (if it is not already selected), and then use one of the following steps:
   • Type the path to an empty folder on an NTFS volume, and then click OK.
   • Click Browse, locate the empty NTFS folder, click OK, and then click OK.
   • If you have not yet created an empty folder, click Browse, click New Folder to create an empty folder on an NTFS volume, type a name for the new folder, click OK, and then click OK.
6. Quit the Disk Management snap-in.

How to remove a mounted drive

// To remove a mounted volume:

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type compmgmt.msc in the Open box.
2. In the left pane, click Disk Management.
3. Right-click the partition or volume that you want to unmount, and then click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
4. Click the mounted drive path that you want to remove, and then click Remove.
5. Click Yes when you are prompted to remove the drive path.
6. Quit the Disk Management snap-in.

Windows 7 no/missing wallpaper

You are probably not using a legit Windows 7 and it nags too so you know it. This “Windows Genuine Advantage” working to deter you from not paying Microsoft. The way I see it, there is no real advantage is using Microsoft original.  Using windows is already a disadvantage as compared to using Ubuntu or Mac but I’ll save that for another posting.

The solution is to look for “Windows 7 RemoveWAT by Hazar”. It came in several versions so get the latest one.  At the point of this writing, its ver. 2.2.5. Run it and disable automatic update. There will be peace on earth.

Disclaimer. I don’t use Windows 7 a lot but I have it in my Mac bootcamp. I don’t like paying for what I don’t need but its sure is interesting to know what the hype is all about.

Windows XP CD DVD-ROM drive missing

Is your CD-ROM or DVD drive missing  for no apparent reason? It could be because of a new program installation or even a windows upgrade. First, check that the BIOS detects the drive and you can see the power is on and it is connected.

From my knowledge it also affect Vista and Windows 7 as well. Even virtual drives of Daemon tools or  Magic ISO is affected. Don’t bother going to Microsoft for a fix because their fix doesn’t work. This one does for most of us however it does require some registry editing knowledge. Here are the steps to restore the drives.

1. Run regedit
2. Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class
3. Key Name: {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
4. Note : there the key also applies to other devices so choose only the one pertaining DVD drive
5. Value Data: [Delete All Value Data from UpperFilters and LowerFilters]
6. Exit Registry and Reboot