Not actually disappear means that no actual deletion has happened so data is still intact, only its pointer is zeroed.
Means also that recovery is possible until its area is overwritten, just like with undeleting files.
Windows drive letters are not assigned by default, so next available is what new one gets.
That doesn't mean that new order is what you want, there are priorities, like internal over external and so on.
Means also that generally every boot does its shuffle and multiple thumb drives can be a hassle.