How to automatically assign a drive letter by using the Diskpart.exe command on a Windows Server 2003-based computer or on a Windows XP-based computer

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INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to automatically assign a drive letter by using the Diskpart.exe command in the Sysprep.inf file and in the Cmdlines.txt file. The Diskpart.exe command can be used together with the Sysprep tool to deploy a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer or a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.

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MORE INFORMATION

To automatically assign a drive letter, first create the DiskPart script, and then run the Sysprep tool by using one of the following methods.

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DiskPart script sample

The following script (Script.txt) is used to assign the drive letter of the second partition to drive X. This script assumes that you have divided the hard disk that connects to the computer into two partitions.

select disk 0
select partition 2
remove noerr
assign letter=X noerr

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Method 1: Use mini-setup

Create the distribution folder for the Sysprep tool in the following location:
C:\sysprep\i386\$OEM$
Add the following line to the "[Commands]" section of the Cmdlines.txt file to run the DiskPart script (Script.txt):
DISKPART /s C:\sysprep\OPTION\script.txt
Add the following line to the "[Unattended]" section of the Sysprep.inf file:
InstallFilesPath = C:\sysprep\i386
Copy the Cmdlines.txt file into the folder that you created in step 1.
Save the DiskPart script file in the following folder:
C:\sysprep\OPTION
Run the Sysprep.exe file by using the -mini switch. For more information about the general methods of Windows deployment when you use the Sysprep tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302577 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302577/ ) How to use the Sysprep tool to automate successful deployment of Windows XP

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Method 2: Use the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) Wizard

Note The OOBE Wizard is available only in Windows XP.

Add the following line to the "[GuiRunOnce]" section of the Unattend.txt file to run the DiskPart script:
DISKPART.EXE /s C:\sysprep\OPTION\script.txt
Save the DiskPart script file in the following location:
C:\sysprep\OPTION
Run the Sysprep.exe file. For more information about the general methods of Windows deployment when you use the Sysprep tool, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
302577 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302577/ ) How to use the Sysprep tool to automate successful deployment of Windows XP

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REFERENCES

For more information about how to assign the drive letter during the deployment of the operating systems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307844 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844/ ) How to change drive letter assignments in Windows XP

300415 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/300415/ ) A description of the Diskpart command-line utility

Windows operating systems typically cannot modify the drive letters that are assigned to the system drive or to the boot drive. For more information about how to change the drive letter that is assigned to the system drive or to the boot drive, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

223188 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188/ ) How to restore the system/boot drive letter in Windows

830577 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/830577/ ) How to set the drive letter for the system drive when you install Microsoft Windows Server 2003

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