How do I find the hex values that I need to use to hide a drive letter?

Question

In this thread How to hide drive for specific users in Windows 7? it talks about how you can hide drive letters for specific users. I am trying to follow Nathan Hinkle's answer but I am stuck. I need to find 3 hex values that I need to use for 3 different users in the registry.

I need to know the hex values that I must use for:

USER 1: Disabling Drive N, leave every other drive alone

USER 2: Disabling Drive M, leave every other drive alone

USER 3: Disabling Drive N & M, leave every other drive alone

I know this is probably very simple but I just don't understand how to get the values. So please can someone respond with the 3 hex values I need? Also if you feel like you need to do a short tutorial (for future reference) on how you got those exact values then please feel free to do so.

Please refer to the thread link above to know how I need the hex values to look.

Answer 1

I know this is probably very simple but I just don't understand …

I feel your pain.  I would offer my opinion that the reason why you don’t understand nhinkle’s answer to that other question is because it doesn’t exactly make any sense.  I found this explanation at Microsoft TechNet, which says, in effect:

Take this template:

  **** **ZY  XWVU TSRQ  PONM LKJI  HGFE DCBA

Write ones below the drive letters that you want to hide.  Write zeros below the *s and the drive letters that you don’t want to hide.  You should now have 32 1s and 0s.  Convert to hex.

I’ll assume that you are asking about drives N: and M:, rather than N and M.  To hide drive N:, you would have

    **** **ZY  XWVU TSRQ  PONM LKJI  HGFE DCBA
    0000 0000  0000 0000  0010 0000  0000 0000

which gives you 00002000 (i.e., 2000 hex).  By the same method, M: is 1000, and “User 3” (N: and M:) is 3000.