[blueturtl]

After installing Debian as a secondary OS to my computer I'm now facing this odd problem:

For some reason Windows seems to be able to detect the Linux file system(s) on hard disk #2, and reports that there is something wrong with the file system. Scandisk wants to "fix" the partitions, but surely doing anything from Windows will kill the Debian install. I have to deal with this new nuisance every time I boot Windows.

Also a new drive letter appears in Windows and it has bumped the other drives in Windows causing a some file paths to go bonkers.

I thought I could 'disable' the hard disk with Linux on it from the Windows device manager, but it appears not to be possible. How would I go about fixing this?

[blueturtl]

Even more bizarre:

Fdisk in Windows says that drive #2 is a non-windows partition and the drive letters appear to correct (no drive letters for the Linux file systems).

In the real world for some reason, Windows does assign the alien partition a drive letter.

[blueturtl]

Fixed my own problem:

My Debian was set up for three partitions:

root, swap and /home.

/home was created as a logical drive into an extended partition.

Apparently Windows was picking up the extended partition, but without any logical drives in it (at least ones that it could read).

Solution was as simple, since Windows cannot handle more than one primary partition on a single hard disk, I recreated both the swap and the /home file systems as primary partitions from Linux.

End result: Windows is yet again oblivious to the fact other file systems are present and no extra drive letters appear under 'My Computer'.

[daniel_b2380]

well, congratulations blueturtl - great going

and thank you for posting your solution - [even if it was your own question]