How to Permanently Stop Windows from Assigning a Drive Letter to the Recovery Partition?

Why Does Windows Assign a Drive Letter to the Recovery Partition? How Can You Fix This Annoying Issue?

Windows sometimes mistakenly assigns a drive letter to the recovery partition, causing it to appear in File Explorer. This partition is designed to be hidden and reserved for system recovery tasks. Exposing it can lead to accidental modification or deletion, potentially breaking recovery options. Here’s how to resolve this persistent problem using proven, step-by-step methods.

Key Solutions to Remove the Drive Letter from the Recovery Partition

Solution 1: Delete the DosDevices Registry Value

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit).
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices
3. Locate the \DosDevices\<drive letter> entry for the recovery partition.
4. Right-click and delete the specific entry.
5. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Tip: Always back up your registry before making changes to avoid system issues.

Solution 2: Remove the Volume Mount Point Using Command Prompt

1. Identify the recovery partition’s drive letter in File Explorer.
2. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
3. Enter: mountvol <drive letter>: /d
   (e.g., mountvol L: /d if the partition is L:)

This command removes the drive letter assignment, making the partition invisible in File Explorer.

Solution 3: Force-Remove the Drive Letter with Diskpart

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run:

   reagentc /info

   (to identify the recovery partition)

3. Launch Diskpart:

   diskpart

4. List disks and select the correct one:

   list disk
   select disk <number>

5. List partitions and select the recovery partition:

   list partition
   select partition <number>

6. Remove the drive letter:

   remove

7. Close Diskpart and restart your computer.

Solution 4: Set the Correct Partition ID and Attributes

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Use Diskpart to select the disk and partition as above.
3. Set the recovery partition ID:

   set id="de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac"

4. Set GPT attributes to hide and protect the partition:

   gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001

5. Exit and reboot your PC.

Best Practices to Prevent Future Issues

• Avoid assigning drive letters to system or recovery partitions during disk management operations.
• Regularly back up your registry and system before making advanced changes.
• If the recovery partition keeps reappearing, check for third-party disk utilities or Windows updates that may interfere with partition settings.