[Windows 11] Missing drive letter problem

Question

[Windows 11] Missing drive letter problem

RobDev 431

Greetings All.

I recently purchased a new PC running Windows 11. The PC has two disk drives, an SSD, used as the system/boot drive and an HDD used for data. When I first started up the PC ( and for about a week after that) the Windows Explorer app and the Disk Defragmenter app both showed an 'F' drive marked as BOOT. However, yesterday (and today) the F: 'BOOT' drive was no longer visible from either app. So my question is what's happened to it?

The PC boots up normally as it did before, so where's the 'F' drive?

Kind regards

Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-22T17:18:59.0566667+00:00

Hello,

Can you Open Disk Management ( Right-Click on the Start button and select Disk Management from the menu)

Take a screenshot and please post it so we can see the disk layout.

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-23T14:35:25.4566667+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

many thanks for your reply. The screenshot from Disk Management is as follows:

Is this any help?

Kind regards
Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-24T15:30:17.5933333+00:00

Hello,

I suspect that the EFI System Partition ( First Volume on Disk 1) was what you saw in Explorer. Normally that volume is not given a drive letter. So the Drive letter no longer being there is the correct behavior. The issue would have been assigning a drive letter in the first place.

Seeing the status column above may give us some more informtion

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-25T14:42:02.4066667+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

many thanks for your reply. I've included another screenshot, below, showing the status column. If that validates your info then I think that must be the answer.

I do remember looking an the contents of this mysterious 'F' drive and I think it had two folders; one was called 'Boot' and I think the other may have been 'EFI' (I'm not sure about that).

Anyway, I'd be grateful if you could let me know. Many thanks.

Kind regards.
Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-25T16:48:31.2266667+00:00

Hello RobDev,

The two folders you mention would be on the EFI System partition. This partition is not supposed to have a drive letter. ( This is the Volume you actually boot to which points to the \volume with \Windows on it) . There should be little to no reason for people to access this volume manually so the drive letter was removed to prevent people from messing up the files on the disk. You can assign a drive using diskpart if you need to access from the volume

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-26T10:51:45.96+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

the weirdest thing has just happened. Today, I'm going to do a backup so I switched on my external HDD as I normally do. However, when I checked Explorer I found that the mysterious 'F' drive had returned. The 'F' drive itself has the two folders 'Boot' d 'EFI'. I don't know whether this has anything to do with my external HDD (although my last backup was done when the 'F' drive was present and this one is an incremental) but I don't know what s going on here. Any ideas?

Kind regards.
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-27T15:29:55.56+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

this is a follow up to my last comment.

When I switched on the PC today I didn't have my external HDD switched on (the backup was yesterday) and I found that the mysterious 'F' drive wasn't there. I think the appearance/disappearance of the 'F' drive is something to do with my backup software - Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office. It initially did an image backup when the 'F' drive was present. My subsequent backup was an incremental backup but it looks like Acronis reinstated the 'F' drive - maybe because the 'F' drive was present when the initial image backup was done and it needs the 'F' drive present for any incremental backups - I don't know, I'm just guessing.

Anyway, that's the situation so far. Does any of this matter?

Kind regards.

1 answer

Your answer

Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-22T17:18:59.0566667+00:00

Hello,

Can you Open Disk Management ( Right-Click on the Start button and select Disk Management from the menu)

Take a screenshot and please post it so we can see the disk layout.

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-23T14:35:25.4566667+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

many thanks for your reply. The screenshot from Disk Management is as follows:

Is this any help?

Kind regards
Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-24T15:30:17.5933333+00:00

Hello,

I suspect that the EFI System Partition ( First Volume on Disk 1) was what you saw in Explorer. Normally that volume is not given a drive letter. So the Drive letter no longer being there is the correct behavior. The issue would have been assigning a drive letter in the first place.

Seeing the status column above may give us some more informtion

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-25T14:42:02.4066667+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

many thanks for your reply. I've included another screenshot, below, showing the status column. If that validates your info then I think that must be the answer.

I do remember looking an the contents of this mysterious 'F' drive and I think it had two folders; one was called 'Boot' and I think the other may have been 'EFI' (I'm not sure about that).

Anyway, I'd be grateful if you could let me know. Many thanks.

Kind regards.
Darrell Gorter 2,731 Reputation points

2023-11-25T16:48:31.2266667+00:00

Hello RobDev,

The two folders you mention would be on the EFI System partition. This partition is not supposed to have a drive letter. ( This is the Volume you actually boot to which points to the \volume with \Windows on it) . There should be little to no reason for people to access this volume manually so the drive letter was removed to prevent people from messing up the files on the disk. You can assign a drive using diskpart if you need to access from the volume

Thanks

Darrell
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-26T10:51:45.96+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

the weirdest thing has just happened. Today, I'm going to do a backup so I switched on my external HDD as I normally do. However, when I checked Explorer I found that the mysterious 'F' drive had returned. The 'F' drive itself has the two folders 'Boot' d 'EFI'. I don't know whether this has anything to do with my external HDD (although my last backup was done when the 'F' drive was present and this one is an incremental) but I don't know what s going on here. Any ideas?

Kind regards.
RobDev 431 Reputation points

2023-11-27T15:29:55.56+00:00

Hi @Darrell Gorter ,

this is a follow up to my last comment.

When I switched on the PC today I didn't have my external HDD switched on (the backup was yesterday) and I found that the mysterious 'F' drive wasn't there. I think the appearance/disappearance of the 'F' drive is something to do with my backup software - Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office. It initially did an image backup when the 'F' drive was present. My subsequent backup was an incremental backup but it looks like Acronis reinstated the 'F' drive - maybe because the 'F' drive was present when the initial image backup was done and it needs the 'F' drive present for any incremental backups - I don't know, I'm just guessing.

Anyway, that's the situation so far. Does any of this matter?

Kind regards.

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[Windows 11] Missing drive letter problem

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