You have to change the HD D partition to E or higher before you can can set the CDROM as D. Read this topic: Need help with Windows 98se and drive letters
Letter Assigner is a tool that might work...

unfortunately letter assigner didnt work for me. I assigned everything ,rebooted but than when i go to my computer the searching flashlight appears and the system doesnt work fine anymore. if i unplug my cd drive than everything works fine, c is at c and my second drive is at e. but as soon as i plug in the cd drive those error appears. hat to return to original to work it agian.

tried different things, only letter E works without any problems. but with the dos driver i can assign it also to D. thats strange

Use DLManip in autoexec.bat and use the MOVE command to move D: to G: example DLMANIP.com MOVE D: G:

I use it with all my machines as I always use partitions to keep media on the second one.

Thank you for this. I was worried about it screwing up my system based upon what @atom1kk found, but for me happily Letter Assigner did not cause issues and allowed me to move my other drive letters around before reserving a space for the CDROM. I cannot ever remember worrying about this stuff when I was a kid, maybe I was less discerning (or had less resources)!

Zeerex wrote on 2022-12-03, 16:49:

Use DLManip in autoexec.bat and use the MOVE command to move D: to G: example DLMANIP.com MOVE D: G:

I use it with all my machines as I always use partitions to keep media on the second one.

It doesn't work for me. In Windows DOS prompt, any option results in a error "CDS or DPB chain corrupted". In pure DOS mode, the LIST option only shows the C: drive.

Hmm from a pure DOS mode can you access the other HD partitions ?

Horun wrote on 2023-12-16, 04:14:

Hmm from a pure DOS mode can you access the other HD partitions ?

Yes

atom1kk wrote on 2022-12-03, 14:45:

Hi, is it somehow possible to allocate the letter D to my CD drive?

What for?

I still think you should try Letter Assign : http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … 131&menustate=0

Horun wrote on 2023-12-16, 17:59:

I still think you should try Letter Assign : http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?file … 131&menustate=0

Yes, Letter Assign works. It has some disadvantages though, being a windows program(the dos version needs running in pure dos) and cannot be launched via a batch file. And it needs a reboot to finish the letter changing. I'm aiming at running dos games under Windows dos prompt, because I have a very incompatible mobo(CUSL2-C). I decide to use a sound card like ymf7x4, using it in Windows and ignoring the fact that it's not compatible with my mobo in pure dos.

In 98 you should be able to assign a new drive letter to the 2nd partition, Z: for instance. Restart.
It should keep that letter.
Then you can assign a new letter to the CDROM and restart.
Then you can assign a new letter to the 2nd partition and restart.

Does that not work at all?
Does the second partition always revert to D:?

IIRC Win9x defaults to the Primary master IDE drive as C, Secondary master IDE as D, then goes to Primary slave E, secondary slave F, then the other partitions.....So if you have 2 HD's each as master Win9x kinda locks those as C and D..
could be wrong but is how on my one w98 box...