guidox / PC
Check **Get-Partition** for a missing letter, then assign one with **Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter**. If the volume already has a letter, the problem is the **NoDrives** policy or an empty-drive view setting.
Disk Management is the visual check, and **Get-Partition** the precise one. A partition without a letter is mounted somewhere else or not mounted at all.
Get-Disk | Select-Object Number,FriendlyName,PartitionStyle,OperationalStatus,Size
Get-Partition | Select-Object DiskNumber,PartitionNumber,DriveLetter,Size,Type
Get-Volume | Select-Object DriveLetter,FileSystemLabel,FileSystem,DriveType,SizeA volume can be mounted into an empty folder on another drive. That is a valid configuration, and it looks like a missing drive in This PC.
Get-Partition | Where-Object { -not $_.DriveLetter } | Select-Object DiskNumber,PartitionNumber,Size,AccessPaths
Get-Volume | Where-Object { -not $_.DriveLetter } | Select-Object Path,FileSystemLabel,Size
mountvol**Set-Partition** assigns a free letter without touching the data. A letter already used by a network drive or a subst drive cannot be assigned until it is freed.
Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1 | Set-Partition -NewDriveLetter E
Get-Partition | Select-Object DiskNumber,PartitionNumber,DriveLetter
Get-Volume -DriveLetter E | Select-Object FileSystemLabel,Size,HealthStatusA policy can hide selected letters for every user. It affects Explorer only, so the volume still works from a command line.
Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object NoDrives
Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object NoDrives
reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoDrives 2>$nullExplorer hides drives with no media, which includes card readers with no card. That is a view option, not a missing partition.
Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced' | Select-Object HideDrivesWithNoMedia,ShowCompColor
Set-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced' -Name HideDrivesWithNoMedia -Value 1 -Type DWord
Stop-Process -Name explorer -ForceWindows stores the mount path in the mount manager database. A letter that vanishes again points at a conflicting assignment, often from a dock or a USB drive that claims the same letter.
Restart-Computer
Get-Partition | Select-Object DiskNumber,PartitionNumber,DriveLetter
Get-CimInstance Win32_LogicalDisk | Select-Object DeviceID,VolumeName,DriveType,Size
Get-WinEvent -LogName System -MaxEvents 50 | Where-Object ProviderName -match 'partmgr|volmgr' | Select-Object TimeCreated,Id,Message -First 3A network drive or a subst path holds it. Disconnect that mapping, assign the letter, then reconnect the mapping to a different one.
It was never formatted, or it is a Linux or recovery partition. Format only if you are sure the data is not needed.
This is a permission or file system problem, not a letter problem. Check the ACL on the volume root and run a read-only chkdsk.
The file system is damaged. Do not format; recover the data first, then re-create the volume.
No. The letter is a pointer in the mount manager, and the files stay where they are.
Letters are assigned in order of arrival. Give fixed drives letters low in the alphabet and let removable media take the rest.
No, but it can have one letter and several folder mount points. That is how a single disk appears in multiple places.
Remove the letter with Remove-PartitionAccessPath -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1 -AccessPath 'E:\', and set HideDrivesWithNoMedia back to 0 if you changed it.
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