Default Letters
In section [DriveLetters] you can configure default letters for USB drives.
Since V5.0 there is no more section numbering required, so we talk here about the last section [DriveLetters].
Sample:
[DriveLetters]
Letter1=U
Letter2=V
Letter3=W
Or short
[DriveLetters]
Letters=U,V,W
Because there are no criterions in the section, only the default criterions are tested. These are:
BusType=USB
DriveType1=REMOVABLE
DriveType2=FIXED
This means that USBDLM by default deals with USB flash drives and USB hard drives only.
It's for easier config, for compatibility with USBDLM V3.x and because of the program's name USB Drive Letter Manager...
You can make USBDLM read drive letters from an external INI file too, e.g. on the newly attached drive:
[DriveLetters]
Letters=%drive%\usbdlm.ini
%drive% is a USBDLM variable{linkID=} which it replaces with something like "X:".
Both ways can be used together, the external file has precedence:
[DriveLetters]
Letters=%drive%\usbdlm.ini
Letter1=U
Letter2=V
This makes USBDLM read drive letters from the USBDLM.INI on the drive first and then the others.
In the external INI file only one simple [DriveLetters] section is valid as shown in the first sample.
To make a section responsible only when the USBDLM.INI on the drive is present we need the FileExists{linkID=69} criterion:
[DriveLetters]
FileExists=%drive%\usbdlm.ini
Letters=%drive%\usbdlm.ini
Hint: Using an INI on the attached drive can cause delays because for reading the INI the drive's file system must be mounted. No problem with most drives but some don't like be read to quickly after arrival...
The maximum waiting time for the file being read is 10s and can be changed in section Settings like so:
[Settings]
VolumeInformationMaxWait=12000
Limiting the number of drives
If there is group policy defined for the drive letters configured in a DriveLetters section, e.g. which prevents programs started from these letters, then it should be ensured that no other letters are assigned in case the system is flooded with drives, e.g. by a 5 slot cardreader.
This can be achieved by configuring "no letter" as the last one (a minus character):
; max 3 USB drives
[DriveLetters]
Letter1=U
Letter2=V
Letter3=W
Letter4=-
As list:
[DriveLetters]
Letters=U,V,W,-