GAMING: which drive?

[pcoopers]

GAMING: which drive?

My desktop is set up for mobility (LOL), it goes with me over-the-road
in a truck. I have more drives than I can count (DUH), network, virtual,
detachable, etc. I also have more disks than anyone has ever counted,
and I try to install my games from virtual drive. Sometimes it works,
sometimes it don't.

Getting to the heart of the problem, more and more games are copyright
protected to prevent copying, and to prevent you doing a full install,
then running the game without the CD.

Question: Can I somehow add a parameter to shortcut icons to search
among my drives for the CD I am trying to access?

Drive letters change for various reasons, even depending which OS I boot
to. I want the game to look around, find the CD, and run without
reminding me that I have changed my computer's configuration.

Please phrase answers for a dummy to understand. I have accomplished some
pretty awesome things with my machine, but I surprise myself sometimes
at how stupid I am about computers.

Thanks,