VolumeID

VolumeID is a very lightweight utility whose main purpose is to modify volume IDs on FAT and NTFS disks, as well as on floppy devices, via a simple command line window.
The program targets Windows operating systems from 9X and NT to 2000, XP and Server 2003. Although some of these OSes provide a built-in disk labeling utility (9X/NT/2K) that can easily change the volume label, modifying the ID is not possible without third-party tools.

Command line usage

For this purpose, you can rely on VolumeID to accomplish a proper job. It runs via command line, using one simple line that should contain the path to the application’s executable (VolumeID.exe), accompanied by the drive and a user-defined ID.

A short example

The volume ID must be in hexadecimal format, in this form “xxxx-xxxx;” using any other format will not return the expected results. For instance, if you wish to change the ID of your D volume, the command line arguments should look like this: “VolumeID.exe D FFFF-FFFF.”

Special circumstances regarding NTFS drives

A special case is that of the NTFS volumes. First of all, if you are working with this type of disk, it is best that you close all running applications, besides VolumeID, of course. This needs to be done because Windows NT might associate the modifications with a FAT volume, which may lead to a series of errors.
However, if the only running application is VolumeID, these issues will not be encountered. Also, on NTFS drives, the changes will become visible as soon as a system reboot is performed.
For FAT drives, there are no special requirements, although it is recommended that you cease all computer related activities once you launch VolumeID.

A last evaluation

On an ending note, VolumeID is a great companion for changing volume IDs on FAT and NTFS volumes, especially that everything can be achieved with a simple line of code inside the command prompt. However, there are plenty of other similar products that also have a GUI to help beginners use it.