Appendix A

This Troubleshooting Guide describes how to overcome problems installing Windows NT 4.0.

Using the Hardware Compatibility List

The Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) is a compilation of systems and hardware which have been extensively tested with Windows NT for stability and compatibility. It is the guide used by Microsoft Product Support Services for determining whether or not a given system is supported for use with Windows NT. If you experience problems during your installation of Windows NT, your first step in troubleshooting should be to verify all of your computer’s hardware components against this list.

Up-to-date versions of the HCL are available on:

· the World Wide Web at http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/hcl/hclintro.htm

· Microsoft’s FTP server at ftp://microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt_docs/hcl

Hardware Configuration

Prior to installing Windows NT, you should record configuration information, including memory addresses and interrupt request (IRQ) settings on all adapters in your computer. Windows NT, as opposed to MS-DOS, does not install properly if adapters share IRQ settings. During Setup, when Windows NT detects your adapter card, it is often unable to detect the correct memory address or IRQ settings. Use the following table to determine the information you will need:

Adapter	Required information

Video	Adapter or chipset type
Network	IRQ, I/O address, DMA (if used) connector type (BNC, twisted pair, etc.)
SCSI Controller	Adapter model or chipset, IRQ, and bus type
Mouse	Mouse type, port (COM1, COM2, bus, or PS/2)
I/O Port	IRQ, I/0 address, DMA (if used) for each I/O port
Sound Card	IRQ, I/O address, DMA
External Modem	Port connections (COM1, COM2, etc.)
Internal Modem	Port connections or IRQ and I/0 address (for non-standard configurations)

Windows NT currently does not support the following controller and BIOS enhancements:

· 32-bit Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) switch

· Enhanced Drive Access

· Multiple Block Addressing or Rapid Integrated Device Electronics (IDE)

· Write Back Cache on disk controllers

· Power Management features

Frequently Asked Questions about Windows NT 4.0 Setup

This section lists the most common questions raised while running Setup. If you have encountered a problem, check here to see if your issue is explained.

Setup fails with the error message, "Setup did not find any mass storage devices on your computer."

-or-

After I remove the third Setup disk and my computer restarts, a screen appears with the message, "STOP: 0x0000007b Inaccessible Boot Device" and Setup stops there.

-or-

After I remove the third Setup disk and my computer restarts, a screen appears with the location "0x4,0,0,0" and Setup stops there.

What can I do?

Make sure all hard disks are getting power and are properly connected to your computer. Then check the following:

1. Scan each drive for viruses. If the Master Boot Record is infected, Windows NT may not see the hard drive properly. Use a commercial scan program in addition to MS Virus scan. Even if the drive is formatted as NT File System (NTFS), the Master Boot Record can become infected.

2. If the hard drive uses a small computer system interface (SCSI), check the following:

· Is there a valid boot sector on the drive?

· Are all SCSI devices properly terminated?

If you are using a passive terminator, upgrade to an active terminator.

· Is the BIOS on the boot (initiating) SCSI adapter enabled?

· Are the BIOSs on all non-initiating SCSI adapters disabled?

When the BIOS on a non-initiating SCSI adapter is enabled, it can fail at startup and/or interfere with hardware interrupt 13 calls to the initiating hard drive controller, resulting in the inability to start your computer as well as random hangs during installation.

· Is the SCSI ID for your boot drive set at zero?

· Have all your cables been checked for problems?

· Does your SCSI configuration comply with the appropriate standards?

For the appropriate SCSI configuration standards, see your hardware manufacturer. Check the HCL for notes regarding SCSI adapters and any limitations with specific adapters.

3. If the hard drive uses an enhanced integrated device electronics interface (EIDE), check the following:

· Verify that the system drive is the first drive on the first integrated device electronics (IDE) controller on the motherboard.

· In the system BIOS, verify that file I/O and/or disk access are set to standard. Most computers ship with access set to either 32-bit or enhanced access.

4. If the drive uses an IDE or an enhanced small device interface (ESDI), check the following:

· Verify that the controller is functional in a different computer, if possible.

· If the drive is larger than 1024 cylinders, make certain you are using a supported disk configuration utility.

· Verify that the drive is jumpered correctly for master, slave, or single drive.

During the restart into the Setup wizard, the error message "NTOSKRNL.EXE is missing or corrupt" appears.

If you are installing to a drive other than C: and the primary drive is FAT, edit your BOOT.INI file and change the partition information by doing the following:

1. At an MS-DOS or OS/2 command prompt, type: ATTRIB -S -R C:\BOOT.INI
This will remove the Read Only and System File attributes from the BOOT.INI file.

2. Edit the BOOT.INI file and change the Windows NT line to read as follows:

multi(0)disk(x)rdisk(0)partition(y)\winnt="Windows NT on ?:"

where x is the drive number, y is the partition number, and ? is the drive letter where Windows NT resides. This will change the partition number for Windows NT.

During the restart from the character-based mode of Setup into the Setup wizard, an error message reading "HAL.DLL is missing or corrupt" appears.

-or-

When I install Windows NT on a multi-processor computer, the following error message appears: "HAL: Bad APIC version. HAL: This HAL.DLL requires an MPS version 1.1 system. Replace HAL.DLL with the correct HAL for this system. The system is halting."

What’s wrong?

The incorrect hardware abstraction layer (HAL) is being loaded. To solve this problem, use the following steps:

1. Restart Setup.

2. As soon as the message "Windows NT is examining your hardware configuration appears," press F5. This displays a screen with various computer types listed.

3. Choose your computer type from the list. For example, if you are using an Intel Pentium-based computer with a single processor, choose "Standard PC."

If your computer type does not appear on the list, select "Other" and insert the disk containing your computer manufacturer-supplied HAL.

4. Type enter to continue with Setup.

The mass storage device I used with Windows NT 3.51 is not available on Windows NT 4.0.

What can I do?

If the driver was on the Windows NT installation disk previously, check the files Readme.doc and Setup.txt on your Windows NT 4.0 compact disc to see if the driver is now located in the retired drivers directory. Full installation instructions are located in that directory.

If you received the driver directly from a third-party vendor, contact the vendor to request drivers for Windows NT 4.0.

When I use my SoundBlaster card, I can’t play music CDs if I have the CD port configured with the mass storage driver.

What’s wrong?

On more recent SoundBlaster cards, the multiport capabilities may not be recognized. Call Creative Labs for information about updated drivers.

My driver for audio/video/mass storage/netcard is not included in Windows NT 4.0.

What should I do?

Contact your device manufacturer for the updated drivers.

The partition where I am installing Windows NT is currently part of a mirrored set with another partition.

What should I do before I run Setup?

If you are installing Windows NT on a mirrored partition, you must disable mirroring before running Setup and then reestablish mirroring after installation is complete.

What is Windows NT doing during the first part of Setup?

During the first part of Setup (referred to as character-based Setup), Windows NT examines your system architecture for foundation-level information and drivers. This information includes:

· CPU type (x86, MIPS, ALPHA, or PPC)

· Motherboard type (PCI, VESA, MCA, EISA, or ISA)

· Hard Drive Controllers

· File Systems

· Free Space on Hard Drives

· Memory

Windows NT looks for any devices that must be initialized at system startup in order for your computer to run. Windows NT also constructs a "mini" version of Windows NT, which is used to reboot your computer into the Setup wizard (the graphical user interface mode portion of Setup). In order for the Setup wizard to run smoothly, the information you give during the character-based mode of Setup must be accurate and complete.

While running Setup, my computer stops and displays a long message beginning with the word "STOP."

What happened?

Text mode STOP Messages are used to identify and debug hardware and software problems that occur while loading or running Windows NT. When a mission-critical operating system fails, it is preferable to generate an obvious error message, such as the STOP screen, rather than to simply fail in an "invisible" manner and possibly corrupt data. A STOP screen consists of a STOP message, the text translation, the addresses of the violating call, and the drivers loaded at the time of the STOP screen. STOP screens give you and a Product Support Services engineer the necessary information to locate and identify problem areas.

My computer supports booting directly from the CD-ROM drive. When I try to boot from the Windows NT 4.0 compact disc, however, nothing happens.

What’s wrong?

In order to boot directly from the Windows NT 4.0 compact disc, your computer’s BIOS must support the El Torito Bootable CD-ROM (no-emulation mode) format. Check with your computer manufacturer if you are unsure whether your BIOS has this feature.

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