Boot Failure on Large Hard Disk Drives

 Last reviewed: May 13, 1997
Article ID: Q110151
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

Windows NT fails to boot on a large hard disk drive.

CAUSE

The cause of this problem is that computer BIOS is reporting incorrect disk metrics during the boot process. Usually, these metrics are translated by the BIOS in real-mode. Windows NT does not receive these real-mode translations and subsequently is not able to access the hard disk drive properly.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. This problem was corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1. For information on obtaining the Service Pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces): 

   S E R V P A C K

Additional query words: prodnt
Keywords : kbbug3.10 kbother ntboot
Version : 3.1
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: May 13, 1997
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