How to Swap Drive Letters with ASSIGN (61848)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.1
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.2
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.21
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.3
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 3.3a
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.0
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 4.01
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
  • Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0a
This article was previously published under Q61848

SUMMARY

You can use the ASSIGN program to swap the drive letter names for any defined drive (that is, a drive that actually exists on your machine). For example, to swap the drive letter names for drives D and E, type the following:

ASSIGN d=e e=d

To return the drive names to the original names, type the following:

ASSIGN <ENTER>

NOTE: The ASSIGN program is available in MS-DOS 5.0 and earlier. If you have a later versions of MS-DOS you can obtain the ASSIGN program with the Microsoft MS-DOS Supplemental Disk. You can obtain the MS-DOS Supplemental Disk by using the coupon located in the back of your printed MS-DOS documentation.

MORE INFORMATION

Some programs, including Microsoft Windows, can have problems when drive letters are changed using ASSIGN. In particular, do not change drive letter assignments when a program is active. For additional information about this process, see the comments in the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide" and "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Reference" about using ASSIGN with commands that require drive information.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/25/2003
Keywords:KB61848
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.