JP>> [...] as many problems, would be to extend the Universal Naming
Convention
 JP>> to include local volumes.  Volumes would automatically be assigned
 JP>> names such as \\.\HARDDISK0PARTITION2 , [...]

 ET> This prevents the problem where many devices are in use they run out
 ET> of letters to assign to and it prevents the volume names from
 ET> shifting when a new partition is created when no harddisks are
 ET> changed, but that doesn't prevent the problem of shifting drive
 ET> letters or shifting volume names when a new harddisk is added before
 ET> the existing harddisks. For example if a new harddisk is added to
 ET> become the new harddisk 0 instead of an existing one and all the
 ET> existing harddisks are numbered in the order of the existing order
 ET> then all existing harddisks get a new number.

Indeed.  

Actually, it doesn't prevent the problem of partitions being renumbered when
one inserts or deletes a partition.  This is the problem with UNIX and linux
that many people are blind to that I mentioned to Peter Knapper.  UNIX and
linux don't have drive letters, but they do have automatically assigned minor
device numbers which change as partitions are added and deleted, and one thus
still has to spend time reconfiguring one's system.  The only practical
difference is that one is changing configuration files (and "device" files)
that operate in terms of minor device numbers instead of changing
configuration information that operates in terms of drive letters.

The best solution would, of course, be not to number partitions and hard discs 
at all, but to name them, so that one could, say, use a UNC name such as
\\.\DISK\EDDYS-DISK\EDDYS-OS2-PARTITION\CONFIG.SYS .  Unfortunately, the
design of the PC partition table simply doesn't allow for this.  There is no
place on a disc where one can store a name for the disc as a whole, nor is
there any place in a partition within a disc to store a name for a volume. 
One is thus forced to have machine-generated names such as "HARDDISC0" and
"PARTITION3", and this means numbering in some fashion.

 ¯ JdeBP ®

--- FleetStreet 1.22 NR
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