system partition D: = windows update failure

Windows update gave me 3 XP security updates last week...

KB973475, KB973443, KB975958

...but despite many attempts they just wouldn't install.

You would have thought Microsoft could have had the sense to have the auto install program report what the error was (lol), but no clue is given. :confused

I just figured out though that the update does throw up the error if I manuually download and install.... and it says 'invalid drive C:', seemingly near the end of the install process.

Well I don't have a drive C, primary is D: on my system but until now I've had no problems with it.

Is it possible to rename it to C? Presumably though that would confuse other programs, links etc so maybe not.

Is there anything I can do guys? as I really don't want to skip these updates.

 

You have a most unusual computer! When booting Windows always allocates C to the what it calls the System partition, by which it means the partition from which Windows will boot. Even in a dual boot situation the system being booted will always show as being on C, and the alternate system will be on D.

Are you using a third party boot manager, or have you in any way in the past attempted to change the partitions and their drive letters?

 

I've not messed with drive letters or boot managers.

I really don't know how Windows came to be on drive D. I had 2 internal drives and selected the larger of the 2 for the windows installation and presumed it would be called C. Maybe it's the cable order or drive jumpers that made the smaller drive the primary? My knowledge us a little sketchy in this area.

Later on I found out, after reformatting the 'empty' C drive LOL, that the boot sector had been on it and so the system would no longer boot. I had to build a new boot sector manually on D to get up and running again.

 

I'll need to think about all that, but I would think the 'empty' drive isn't as empty as you think, and still holds the MBR. The MBR isn't touched when you reformat a partition.

Have updates been working previously in this setup, and have only just failed?

 

If you could post a pic of your Disk Management it might help. Here's mine -

 

ok thanks picture attached.

Yes I found out the hard way that the MBR is always on C, despite the fact that C was my data drive. It was the MBR that I had to rebuild on D once C was reformatted.
I've since removed the other drive so now there's no C.

Other updates have worked fine for the last few months.

 

If you've got two internal drives then only one of them is showing there. Is the other disconnected? What that pic shows is a single drive with two partitions.

EDIT - sorry, you've explained that.

 

They say you live and learn! First Windows System partition I've ever seen that wasn't on C :-o

I can't see anything stopping you from using Disk Management to reassign C to that partition, unless something 'out of view' has C, but whether it will help with your updates problem ...... :confused

 

Disk management says it cannot modify the drive letter of the system/boot volume. EASUS won't do it either....

 

How about taking an image of D, storing it on an external, refitting the larger drive and disconnecting the existing, and restoring the image with the imaging program's boot CD?

 

The current drive is the larger and the one I will be using.

If I image the D partition and restore though, doesn't it rename the destination drive or partition to the same letter as that imaged?

Thinking about it now... I have a feeling that this could have been what caused the problem in the first place. To test the imaging software I remember restoring an image of a c: system partition to the second drive, causing the system to reassign what was my original C drive to D.

 

I would be pretty sure that if you do that it will get assigned C. Drive letters are not preserved through an image and restore - as you have already seen.

 

ok thanks I'll give it a go.

 

this may NOT apply, but it very possibly could.

i was ready to pull my hair out when i kept failing to install SP3 and some critical, security and update hotfixes. i finally found out why after much Googling. my system is "skinned/themed" and MS won't let you install some things (especially SP's) if you don't have the native bootscreen.

changed my bootscreen back & got everything i needed. then went back to my chosen bootscreen (through a program, although you can do this by hand unless you overwrote your original). if you overwrote your original, you might Google for that. i think i did find info but didn't save it because i only needed the "change it back" part.

in my personal experience, "automatic updates" are not helpful. mine are off ("just tell me" is also just fine); i get them through IE, use Custom, and only install the critical, security & updates i want/need in one go. i do the rest (IE, SP, etc.) separately and individually. with IE, i got all the IE6 hotfixes, went up to IE7, got all those hotfixes, THEN i got IE8.

since i only use IE for updates (i use Firefox), i didn't get any of the Searchlight/Live garbage. i also didn't get anything for stuff i don't have, like Office (i have Kingsoft Office). i "hid" everything i'll never want so i don't keep getting that annoying tray notification...although i have that set to "always hide," anyway.

 

Well I think that's what I was saying... your HDD was E but when you restored your 'C' image... the E drive became C and your system rearranged the other drive letters to suit.
So... when I have a C drive again and restore my 'D' image, won't the same thing happen... my new C drive will become D again?

At this point anyway even if not, I am confused as to how I can make my single HDD go back to C before the image restore.

 

You can't. It will be assigned C on first boot after the restore.

 

No it was me... should've read your post more carefully.

Thanks guys.