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Question

How to remove a drive which doesn't physically exist

Aug 31, 2017 5:32PM PDT

Since I needed to reformat and reinstalled W7 74bit my physical drives have been allocated different drive letters which isn't too big a problem and I have fixed up that problem.
HOWEVER every time I look at all the storage devices (clicking on the COMPUTER icon) there is listed under DEVICES AND REMOVABLE STORAGE 'Removable Disk (M:)' and if I double click on it I am prompted to 'Please insert a disk into Removable Disk (M:)'. And if I insert say a usb memory stick into any usb port nothing happens.
When I go to Disk Management (tool) it is not listed BUT 'system reserved' is listed - is this the same? If so can I change the drive letter?
Is there a way to remove this phantom removable disk?
Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Answer
How did you format and reinstall Win 7?
Aug 31, 2017 5:47PM PDT

You need to tell more.
Dafydd.

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Answer
I see that when
Aug 31, 2017 6:02PM PDT

USB media readers a lot. The drive letters are other there and the maker usually has an app to hide the drive letters when the SD Card is not plugged in.

Need to know more about this install.

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It is my printer
Aug 31, 2017 8:51PM PDT

Hello
Thanks for your replies.
I edited the registry and found a 'key' (with a very long name which included the words USBSTOR and CANON) which has a value of M:
I then remembered that my printer is a CANON and started wondering.
I disconnected the usb cable to my printer and that removable storage device M: disappeared.
So it is caused by my Canon printer plugged in.
OK now comes a question.
I guess I can't remove it but can I reassign a different letter to it (NOT MHappy and if so how do I do that.
Thanks

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Canon drivers?
Aug 31, 2017 9:07PM PDT

Canon usually fixes that in their drivers. Did you happen to use the CD than came with the printer?

Go get the latest from Canon.com

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Canon driver
Aug 31, 2017 9:20PM PDT

I don't think that I did but maybe. Either that or the default driver installed by Windows. I think perhaps that I used the CD which came with the printer as I have installed Canon Utilities (to control the scanner, print on CDs etc) and I'm sure that would only come on the Canon CD.
When I go to device manager under 'Portable Devices' is listed M: and in properties under driver is - Driver Provider Microsoft Driver version 6.1.7600.16385.
What do you suggest I do to get this assigned to any other drive letter than M: (reason I have files which will not open in the program which created them as that program is looking for certain files on the M: drive and that is currently assigned to the printer).

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Letter change.
Aug 31, 2017 9:25PM PDT
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(NT) Driver letter change
Aug 31, 2017 9:30PM PDT
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Driver letter change
Aug 31, 2017 9:32PM PDT

I have already searched the internet and every 'hit' went into using Disk Management to do it which I am very familiar with BUT my device (MHappy is NOT listed and I mentioned that above.
Impossible to change a device which is not listed.

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BY George I have it.
Aug 31, 2017 11:43PM PDT

I decided to UNINSTALL all Canon printer utilities and the Driver which were installed from the CD which came with the printer.
The 'reference to' M: drive then disappeared which allowed me to change the driver letter to M: (YES I do know how to do that) for a different device and my program can now open the project created when another program was installed on the M: drive.
I am hoping that when I reinstall the software and driver for my printer that it will choose a different drive letter and not give me any grief.

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Next time try the driver from canon.com.
Sep 1, 2017 7:14AM PDT

The one on CD is likely out of date.

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Canon Driver
Sep 1, 2017 4:07PM PDT

When I reinstalled everything from the Canon installation disk it all went perfectly and the phantom drive was allocated to another letter. I have downloaded a driver from Canon and hope that it is a later version than what is on the installation disk.

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(NT) Canin driver edited
Sep 1, 2017 4:09PM PDT
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Canon driver edited
Sep 1, 2017 4:11PM PDT

Is it normal for installed devices connected via usb to be allocated a drive when they are NOT a storage device? A bit annoying.

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For some printers, yes.
Sep 1, 2017 4:50PM PDT

If I connect my Canon mx870 by USB the SD card and such show up as mass storage devices. Since I print over WiFi, that doesn't happen here.

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Is that old 'technology'?
Sep 1, 2017 5:10PM PDT

Yes is this old 'technology' and/or badly written installation software?

I find it very strange that a printer which does not have any usable memory (only memory used internally to 'cache' incoming data) causes a 'storage device' to be 'allocated' within Windows.
Most of the time I guess it isn't a problem but in my case a problem which the average 'joe blow' would never be able to solve (I found out after searching the registry, which many don't know exists or would ever edit, for 'M:').

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For some reason I can't find the model
Sep 1, 2017 5:32PM PDT

Since I can't find the model number I can't check into this further. If I missed it, sorry.

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Model number
Sep 1, 2017 5:57PM PDT

It is a Nanon Pixma MP630 quite a few years old now but does everything I want a printer/scanner to do AND it prints on printable CD's which is a feature which seems to have disappeared on more recent models.

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Answer
I beleive there is a drive
Sep 2, 2017 3:43AM PDT

The printer does have a media reader built in to allow printing directly from a media card when inserted into the card reader. This "phantom" drive that is showing up must be the builtin card reader that is part of the printer. Since this printer is connected via USB cable, then it is transferring that as a usable media reader to show up on the drives display of the computer. If you put a media card, that has images stored on it, in that reader and click on the "phantom" drive again, it should then confirm that.

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Built in Media reader
Sep 2, 2017 4:06AM PDT

You are perfectly correct. I had forgotten that it does have a media reader as I have never used it. And yes that would be the reason.
Thanks.