Win10 usb drive lettering

Si_Clist

In Windows 10, what determines what letter is assigned to a USB drive when it's plugged in?

I want to save a backup using file history to each of two identical new USB drives and be able to update each one in alternate weeks. Won't they both come up as Drive F each time and Windows will think it's the same drive each week?

mksysb

https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/assign-permanent-drive-letters-to-a-removable-usb-drive-in-windows/

debitcardmayhem

https://www.howtogeek.com/96298/assign-a-static-drive-letter-to-a-usb-drive-in-windows-7/

that

doubt you can do it that way.

the default value is the next available drive, so if you have 1 hard disk and no dvd then the usb becomes d:

if you have a hdd and a dvd, usb becomes e: and second usb f: etc

if you want to change the e: or another letter to something unused, then start > type diskmgmt.msc > right click on Lexmark (E: ) - or what ever yours is called > select 'change drive letter and paths'

**** Do not do this to your C: drive unless you want a world of pain and possible an evening of re-installation

there probably is a way to configure autoruns on a usb, that may do it, but many a/v disable this. you could also set up a shedule to swap the drives too

Si_Clist

Thank you! I do believe that's me sorted ...

Neil_Jones

Si_Clist wrote: »

In Windows 10, what determines what letter is assigned to a USB drive when it's plugged in?

In Windows there follows a pattern of allocating drive letters based on historical needs.

Legacy removable media (floppy disks) are historically allocated to Drives A and B (because originally there was no such thing as a hard drive in a computer and because the first drive in a computer was going to be a floppy disk it was given Drive A. Drive B was a second floppy disk drive.

Hard drives start at C and go up, based on the number of partitions on the drive, followed by removable drives (CD and DVD drives - typically Drive D and E) and anything removable after that comes next, so USB sticks, external hard drives for example.... This is why when you map a network share drive Windows defaults to drive Z unless you tell it otherwise, keeps it out of the way of peripherals.

For boring technical reason two identical (to you) USB drives will be seen as two different units by Windows so the chances are, unless you intervene as above, the first one will get Drive F and the other one Drive G and Windows will remember it for next time.

grumpycrab

Si_Clist wrote: »

I want to save a backup using file history to each of two identical new USB drives and be able to update each one in alternate weeks.

I doubt file history will work with 2 drives like this. I'd use 1 drive for file history and every week back this up to a 2nd drive. (e.g. synctoy in contribute mode).