Question What drive letters should not be used (because they are used by Windows) ?

[Kletoss]

What drive letters should not be used (because they are used by Win)?

After a new install of Win it uses / assigns special drive letters, e.g. C: for Win and, I believe, G: for DVD drives? Or is it H:? So these letters obviously should not be used for one's (external) hard drives, etc. Are there further letters which should not be used by the user (to avoid conflicts)?

 

[Kletoss]

I image it might be useful for a database application. The space where the data resides does not really need a "drive letter" for the database engine to see and use it.

Backup tools don't really need a drive letter either. Just a path./QUOTE]
Yes, but why not use a common drive / partition / normal folder? Why mount? What is the benefit here?

Mounted folders use a drive letter: the letter where the folder was created. So if you have a partition and mount it to C:\Foobar, you access it with the path "C:\Foobar"

Sorry, what does that mean? Is it a benefit? Or a drawback? Why not use a normal dirve / partition?

So if you're running out of room in C:\ to install programs, you can't say mount a partition to Program Files to streamline installing more programs.

So one could mount to a new folder and install the programs there? But isn't it actually possible to select installation paths on other drives / partitions anyway when installing normally on C:?

 

[USAFRet]

Sorry, what does that mean? Is it a benefit? Or a drawback? Why not use a normal dirve / partition?

My backups via Macrium Reflect live on my NAS box. A little Linux based server.

They are accessed via a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. No drive letter needed.

//MyNasBox/BackupVolume/Folder/SubFolder/

 

[Kletoss]

They are accessed via a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. No drive letter needed.

I am not quite sure, this is a benefit? Instead of making the backup to a partition / drive?

 

[USAFRet]

I am not quite sure, this is a benefit? Instead of making the backup to a partition / drive?

It is a backup on a whole different system, accessed across the network.
And in this case, a Linux based system, which does not have Windows drive letters anyway.

There is no need for a drive letter.


But yes, I can (and do) map drive letters to various resources in that Linux system.
But for that particular use, there is no need for a regular Windows drive letter.

 

[Kletoss]

It is a backup on a whole different system, accessed across the network.
And in this case, a Linux based system, which does not have Windows drive letters anyway.

There is no need for a drive letter.

Yes, OK, but I cannot understand why that is an advantage.

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, OK, but I cannot understand why that is an advantage.

Its not necessarily an advantage nor disadvantage.
It just is what it is.

Not every system or resource has a Windows drive letter.

 

[Kletoss]

OK, but I am still wondering what the ADVANTAGE is on Win of using mounted folders (may be there is a good reason to use it by myself here). Until now it does not sound as if there would be any benefit to use them (instead of using normal partitions / drives).

 

[Deleted member 14196]

take it or leave it. Do as you please

 

[Kletoss]

Yes, thank you very much for that good thought. In order to be able to decide whether to take it or not, I would be interested to know whether I can actually use it sensibly.

Many thanks again!