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How can I read a Fat32 HD within Windows XP

W

Winchester

Diamond Member
I am trying to transfer files from an old computer to a new one. However, under Disk Management it will not let me assign the Fat32 drive a Drive Letter, it will only let me format it. How can I access my files etc?

Old OS was Win98


Sorry for posting in Off Topic, but at a client.
 
So the old drive is a slave in the current computer that is running XP or Win2k...? There should be no problem browsing the drive, and Windows should automatically assign the drive a letter when you start up the computer and login (should go through the "found new hardware wizard" thing).

Sorry, need a bit more info from you...
 
I have it as the secondary master. I can see it under Disk Management. Windows Autodetected it and installed it. Windows XP never automatically assigns secondary HDs a drive letter automatically.
 
Windows XP has native support for FAT32, make sure the jumper settings are set to slave on the Fat32 hard drive if you're on the same chain as a master drive.
 
Originally posted by: Colt45
It should work no problem.
Click to expand...

yep, done it one too many times

had to transfer backups from client's computers, and they've been windows 95 and 98 a lot of the time.
 
Originally posted by: Winchester
I have it as the secondary master. I can see it under Disk Management. Windows Autodetected it and installed it. Windows XP never automatically assigns secondary HDs a drive letter automatically.
Click to expand...

That's what YOU THINK. I have more hard drives than you have sperm and I have never had to manually assign a drive letter, except when the drive was brand new.
 
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
It should work fine. There is something else wrong. Are you out of drive letters? That happened to me once.
Click to expand...

HOLY JESUS :shocked:

how the hell do you run out of drive letters?!?

A: Floppy
B: (secondary floppy or zip i suppose)
C: Main HDD
D: Secondary HDD
E: Third HDD
F: Optical Device
G: Optical Device
H: Removable media
I: Removable Media
J: Virtual Optical Drive
K:
L:
M:
N:
O:
P:
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y: ...
Z: profit?
 
Even now set as slave on primary, same result. I can only delete the partition.

Is there any other way to access it? \\device\???
 
Something else is wrong, you should be able to connect it and read the drive immediately. And this should be in tech support...
 
use the ide cable going to the cd-rom/dvd instead?

give the guy a break, he's at a client's place and OT is the fastest reponse time.

 
if it appears to your OS as an unformatted drive, then it must have been corrupted

you'll need some fancy repair tool or else you'll have to access the drive directly (not through the file system)

basically, the drive is toast, unless you want to go to extreme efforts to get data off of it. you have the files backed up somewhere else?

good luck
 
Originally posted by: neonerd
Originally posted by: EyeMWing
It should work fine. There is something else wrong. Are you out of drive letters? That happened to me once.
Click to expand...

HOLY JESUS :shocked:

how the hell do you run out of drive letters?!?

A: Floppy
B: (secondary floppy or zip i suppose)
C: Main HDD
D: Secondary HDD
E: Third HDD
F: Optical Device
G: Optical Device
H: Removable media
I: Removable Media
J: Virtual Optical Drive
K: Network Drive
L: Network Drive
M: Network Drive
N: and so on
O: and so on
P: and so on
Q:
R:
S:
T:
U:
V:
W:
X:
Y: ...
Z: profit?
Click to expand...

 
Originally posted by: Winchester
Windows Detects it, just does not let me access it.

I have tried using both cables.
Click to expand...

I'd still look it over in BIOS to make sure everything there seems right.
 
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