Cannot assign a drive letter

(For the administrators: I haven't logged in in a very long time, and I encountered a boo boo. My name, Bold_Fortune, was taken...of course by me, a very long time ago. Since my E-mail address is different now then back when I first joined Wilders, I couldn't get a new password sent to me. So I joined again under an assumed name, NotBold_Fortune...LOL. Can I have my name back please?)

Anyway, back to the reason I'm here. I had been reading a couple of threads about the subject I am posting about:

When trying to Explore an image this happens...

"The software you are installing for this hardware:
Generic volume
has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP.
Cannot assign a drive letter to a partition from image archive."

I don't know if anyone has uncovered a solution to this problem. From what I had been reading on the other two threads about this subject (which are now closed, and that is why I started this new thread) no one has as yet.

I'm wondering which Windows files does Acronis True Image depend upon? Is there a list somewhere of Windows files called upon by Acronis during the Explore Image Process?

I can pinpoint a few INF files it touches upon in C:\WINDOWS\inf.

What, if any, system32 files does it call upon?

The reason I ask, and the reason I think this problem is Windows file related, is, I delete many files from my Windows XP installation. If I return to an image of a fresh install of XP, I don't receive that error message at all. Everything goes smooth as a baby's bottom.

Yet, if I try it on images where certain files are removed from my XP installation...error, error, error.

So that's why I ask which Windows files is Acronis True Image dependent upon?

Anyway, from what I've been experiencing, as outlined above, this seems like a good place to look for the solution.

Hope this helps, and I hope you at Acronis can help me with that file dependency list. I sure would like to take a look at it. Thanks.

 

Hello NotBold_Fortune,

Thank you for choosing Acronis True Image (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/).

We cannot guarantee that Acronis True Image will work under Windows with some system files missing. Since it works properly under normal Windows installation there is no problems with the software itself.

As for the system files, we cannot provide you with this information because it is the private information and can be used for reverse engineering that is prohibited by End-User License Agreement.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

I found it. I'm really good at this stuff...LOL.

Here's an excerpt I from my Slimming Down Windows XP: The Complete Guide. I just put it into my guide after finally discovering the solution to this problem.

You can find the entire guide here if you are interested in this subject...

http://www.hollow-refuge.net/Bold/viewtopic.php?t=229

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C:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot

The Catroot folder contain security catalog files.

You can delete the CatRoot folder and its contents.

The CatRoot folder, and whatever contents it needs at any particular point in time, will be generated automatically by Windows. Usually after a Windows Update. Or even during some program installation, or maybe even some program's simple startup process.

C:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot2

The Catroot2 folder contains catalog database files.

You can delete the CatRoot2 folder and its contents.

The CatRoot2 folder, and whatever contents it needs at any particular point in time, will be generated automatically by Windows. Usually after a Windows Update. Or even during some program installations, or maybe even some program's simple startup process.

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Please Note: On my system, I find that Acronis True Image calls upon both the Catroot and Catroot2 folders and their contents. When I use Acronis's "Explore Image" function, if the Catroot and Catroot2 folders and their contents are not there, Windows will deliver to me a PopUp Message telling me that the new device I am trying to install has not met with Microsoft's standards.

You may have Acronis True Image, or some other programs that will cause the same effect, if the Catroot and Catroot2 folders and their contents are deleted.

These PopUp Messages from Windows are really just an annoyance. They don't hurt anything. But they annoy me just enough for me to keep the Catroot and Catroot2 folders and their contents intact on my system.

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This time it's really me, Bold_Fortune. Not that other guy, NotBold_Fortune.

You know, I've never seen something like that attended to so quickly by a site's administration. Wilders is soooo very professional. I'm totally impressed.

Thanks.

 

Hey there buddy! It is a very nice site to be a member of, ain't it?

 

Eliot, is that you? Eliot the fish...er, I mean pool player? LOL

 

Yup, but I am a shark on da tables.

 

I have a little update about this if anyone is interested.

With a some trial and error, (mostly error), I figured out that Acronis's Explorer Drive function is dependent upon these two .CAT files within C:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}:

NT5.CAT
NT5INF.CAT

I can remove all other .CAT files from the folder with these two exceptions and Acronis's Explore Drive function works perfectly.

Now if I can just figure out how to stop the little Auto Play window from popping up asking me which action to perform every time I use the Explore Drive feature, I'll be a happy camper.

 

Tried Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP?

I think it should work, but I make no guarantees...

http://img27.exs.cx/img27/1456/tweakuiautoplay6uk.th.png