Drive Name Change

How to Rename a Drive in Vista

information   Information
This will show you how to rename a drive to whatever you want it to be displayed as in Vista.
Tip   Tip
If your default drive name is missing or was changed and you did not do it with the methods below, then look for a hidden autorun.inf when you open the drive letter in Computer and right click on the autorun.inf file and click on Delete. Next, approve the deletion.

EXAMPLE: Before and After Hard Disk Drive Rename
NOTE:
This is in the Computer (Start menu) window. (METHOD ONE)
Before_Rename.jpgAfter_Rename.jpg
EXAMPLE: Before and After DVD Drive Rename
NOTE:
You will notice that for Devices with Removable Storage there is no Rename option when you right click on the device. (METHOD TWO)
Before.jpgAfter.jpg



METHOD ONE
For Hard Disk Drives

1. Open the Start menu.​
2. Click on the Computer button. (See screenshot below)​
Normal_Start_Menu.jpg

3. In the Computer window, right click on the drive and click Rename. (See screenshot below)​
Computer.jpg

4. Type in a name you want to be displayed for the drive and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
Rename.jpg

5. Click on Continue in the Access Denied prompt. (See screenshot below)​
Continue.jpg

6. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​
7. When done, close the Computer window.​



METHOD TWO
For Devices with Removable Storage
Note   Note
For example, a DVD drive. This will also work for all the other drives with drive letters too.
CREDIT TO: Member: AvatarOfTheShip

1. Open the Start Menu.​
2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​
3. Click on Continue button in the UAC prompt.​
4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 5)​
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer

5. In the left pane, right click on explorer.exe and click on New and Key.​
Explorer_Reg.jpg

6. Type DriveIcons and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
7. In the left pane, right click on DriveIcons and click on New and Key.​
DriveIcons_Reg.jpg

8. Type the drive letter (EX: E) you want to change the drive name for and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
9. In the left pane, right click on the drive letter (EX: E) and click on New and Key.​
E_Reg.jpg

10. Type DefaultLabel and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
11. In the right pane, right click on (Default) and click on Modify.​
DefaultLabel_Reg.jpg

12. To Change the Drive Name
A) Type in a name (Ex: My DVD) and click OK. (See screenshot below step 13)​
B) Go to step 14.​

13. To Restore the Default Drive Name
A) Leave this empty and click OK. (See screenshot below)​
B) Go to step 15.​
Modify.jpg


14. The registry should look similar to this now. (See screenshot below)​
Finished.jpg

15. Repeat steps 9 to 14 if you want to add another drive letter icon to change.​
16. Close regedit.​
That's it,
Shawn




 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Updated 2-8-2008 to include METHOD TWO for devices with removable storage, like a DVD drive.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
You're welcome RexNoctis, and welcome to Vista Forums. :party:

Thanks to Member:AvatarOfTheShip for providing the tip in Method Two.

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I have 2 virtual CD/DVD drives that I use for mounting ISO images. They show up in
windows explorer as
(S: DVD Drive
(T: DVD Drive

I applied the method 2 registry changes to rename to Virtual Drive. The results were
(S: DVD Drive - Virtual Drive
(T: DVD Drive - Virtual Drive

It appended the registry key name to the existing name. Is there any way to completely rename the drives so that it will appear as
(S: Virtual Drive
(T: Virtual Drive
 

My Computer

Hi Dennis,

Welcome to Vista Forums. :party:

Not that I'm aware of. I could only get to add the name to the end too.

Sorry, :(
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I experience the same problem as dennisthemenace with the DVD drive/virtual drive.
But it works fine for my multi card readers and ReadyBoost USB key.
It does not work for the card reader of my networked printer (I.e.: a mounted drive from a networked location)

O.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    Intel Core2Quad Q6700 2.67Ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus Extreme Striker II
    Memory
    4GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 800Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Two NVidia GeForce 8800 GT
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    DELL 2001FP + Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM + Dell 2005FPW
    Screen Resolution
    1600x1200 + 1920x1200 + 1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    RAID 0 with two Western Digital Raptor 36GB 10000 RPM Sata 300 (WD360ADFD) for the OS and softwares
    RAID 0 with two Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10000 RPM Sata 300 (WD1500ADFD) for virtual machines.
    RAID 1 with two Samsung SpinPoint 500Gb 7200RPM S
    PSU
    Antec TruePower Quattro 850W (TPQ-850)
    Case
    Antec P182
    Keyboard
    Logitech Cordless Elite Keyboard (Bluetooth)
    Mouse
    Logitech Mx900 (Bluetooth)
    Internet Speed
    6Mb/s
    Other Info
    Big fan of VMWare. Using Windows Home Server as a backup solution and MCE (Vista Home) on my HTPC.
Hello OgeGOon,

I'm sorry, but it does not work with virtual drives or printers. :(

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Renaming DVD/CD ROM Drives

My question is:

I changed the names according to the directions in the post. Now I have something that looks like this: DVD RW Drive G: Dell DVD Burner or DVD RW Drive I: Samsung. I want to get rid of the beginning part, DVD RW Drive. Is it possible?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    ME
    CPU
    Intel i7-929 Nehalem 2.66 GHz LGA 1366-quad core
    Motherboard
    ASUS Rampage II Extreme
    Memory
    6 GB OCZ Reaper 3GB (3x2GB)Triple Channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Gforce 7800 GT
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX-X-Fi
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1x 22 inch Samsung SyncMaster 226BW, 1x17in Dell
    Screen Resolution
    MAX-1680x1950-Samsung, 1280x1024-Dell
    Hard Drives
    1x750 GB
    1x200 GB
    1x160 GB
    1x120 GB
    PSU
    Themaltake Thoughpower 850 Watt
    Case
    Thermaltake Spedo Case
    Cooling
    6 fans on case for now
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15 Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    1x Logitech Mx-Revolution, 1x Logitech G-9
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Uverse
    Other Info
    Cooler Master V8 Heatsink and Fan
Hello Homeuser,

Sorry, but not that I am aware of with removable drives. :(
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Ok, Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    ME
    CPU
    Intel i7-929 Nehalem 2.66 GHz LGA 1366-quad core
    Motherboard
    ASUS Rampage II Extreme
    Memory
    6 GB OCZ Reaper 3GB (3x2GB)Triple Channel
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia Gforce 7800 GT
    Sound Card
    Supreme FX-X-Fi
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1x 22 inch Samsung SyncMaster 226BW, 1x17in Dell
    Screen Resolution
    MAX-1680x1950-Samsung, 1280x1024-Dell
    Hard Drives
    1x750 GB
    1x200 GB
    1x160 GB
    1x120 GB
    PSU
    Themaltake Thoughpower 850 Watt
    Case
    Thermaltake Spedo Case
    Cooling
    6 fans on case for now
    Keyboard
    Logitech G-15 Gaming Keyboard
    Mouse
    1x Logitech Mx-Revolution, 1x Logitech G-9
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Uverse
    Other Info
    Cooler Master V8 Heatsink and Fan
You're welcome. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
You're welcome G1987x1, and welcome to Vista Forums. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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