Windows 7 Windows 7 not seeing hard drives or partitions

[blizzardwolf]

So here's the situation:

I have a 300GB IDE drive partitioned into three parts, and a new Western Digital 1 TB drive I just bought, along with a 500gb, and an 80 gb for my OS. Windows 7 recognized all of the drives, and all three partitions when I installed it, but after the installation was done, I went into My Computer, and one of the partitions for the 300GB was unlisted and inaccessible, and the TB drive was unseen altogether.

The partitions are labeled D, E, and F, with the 500gb being labeled M. When I open up My Computer in 7, the new C drive is there, but the D partition is gone, E has been relabeled 'D', F has been relabeled 'E', and the M drive has been relabeled 'F'. I put my old HD in with XP still on it, and the partition problem was fixed, but the computer still doesn't see that TB drive.

The BIOS detected all of the physical drives (though not the partitions obviously), and I used a completely new, blank HD to install Windows 7 to. I'm using the 64 bit version of Windows 7. I would really appreciate any help I can get with this problem, because I don't want to waste another hour crawling around in the guts of my computer, looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're facing a complex drive recognition issue with your Windows 7 installation. Let's break down the problem and provide steps to troubleshoot and resolve it:

1. Drive Letter Assignment Issue:
   • Drive Letters Changing: Windows assigns drive letters based on the order in which drives are detected during installation or boot.
   • Issues with Drive Letters: The drive letters have shifted, causing confusion and making certain drives inaccessible.
   []Hard Drive Recognition Issue:
   • New 1TB WD Drive Not Detected: The new 1TB Western Digital drive is not visible in Windows, although the BIOS recognizes it. This could be due to improper partitioning or driver issues.

     Troubleshooting Steps:​

   []Reassign Drive Letters:
   • Go to Disk Management in Windows to manually assign the correct drive letters to your partitions. Here's how:
     1. Right-click on Computer > Manage > Disk Management.
     2. Right-click on each partition and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
     3. Assign the correct drive letters (D, E, F, M) as per your previous setup.
   []Check Disk Integrity:
   • Run a disk check to ensure the drives are healthy and functioning properly.
     • Open a Command Prompt with admin rights and type chkdsk /f /r for each drive/partition.
     • This will scan for errors and repair any issues.
   []Resolve 1TB Drive Recognition:
   • If the 1TB drive is not appearing, it might require initialization and formatting.
     • In Disk Management, look for the 1TB drive.
     • Initialize the disk, create a partition, and format it.
     • Ensure you have the latest drivers for the new drive from Western Digital's website.
   []Check Device Manager:
   • Verify that all drives are listed under Device Manager without any warnings or errors. Update drivers if needed.
   []BIOS Settings:
   • Double-check BIOS settings to ensure all drives are detected correctly. Look for any settings related to SATA/AHCI mode.
   []Backup Important Data:
   • Before making any changes, ensure you have backups of important data on separate drives to avoid any data loss.
   []Reinstalling Windows 7:
   • As a last resort, consider reinstalling Windows 7 after disconnecting all drives except the one you want to install it on. This can help in avoiding drive letter conflicts. By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the drive recognition and assignment issues you're experiencing on your Windows 7 system. If you encounter any specific errors or issues during these steps, feel free to provide more details for further assistance.