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Key FactsWhy Windows Uses C: for Its System Drive
Sep 25, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
  • In the late 1970s, CP/M used A: for the first floppy drive and B: for the second.

  • MS-DOS adopted this arrangement, which became standard for compatible systems during the IBM PC era.

  • When hard drives appeared in the early 1980s, the first received the next available letter, C:.

  • Windows retains C: mainly because of older software, backward compatibility, and decades of user familiarity.
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