6/27/2007 -- Why does my new external USB hard drive work fine in Windows 2000/XP but not in Windows Server 2003? Even though the system detects the USB drive and installs the driver, why don't I see any drive letters in Explorer or My Computer?

If your system is detecting and installing the driver, then your USB drive is not defective. Windows Server 2003 is installing the drive but is not assigning it a drive letter.

What you need to do is open Computer Management, go to Disk Management and assign your USB drive a new drive letter. Here's the procedure:

1. Right-click your USB drive in Disk Management and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
2. Click Add.
3. Assign the drive letter of your choice and click OK.

As soon as the drive letter is assigned, you'll see the drive letter show up in Windows Explorer and My Computer. There is no need to reboot your computer. Some users have experienced the exact same problem of missing USB drive letters in Windows XP, as well. The process of adding drive letters in Windows XP is identical to the process for Windows Server 2003 described above.