Problems Creating Partitions w/ Arcinst.exe in Windows NT 3.51

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.51 and 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51 and 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you install Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 on a DEC Alpha computer and want to format and partition your hard disk before performing the installation, do not use the Arcinst.exe utility that is supplied on the compact disc. When you use this version of Arcinst.exe, all partitions are created as system partitions. This causes an error when you try to install Windows NT.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem:

• Use the Windows NT 3.5 version of Arcinst.exe if available.

  -or-

• Download the corrected version of Arcinst.exe from the DEC4WNT forum on CompuServe. The fixed version of Arcinst.exe can be found under the description "NT/Alpha 3.51 Arcinst Kit." Download the kit, expand it, and read the file Arcinst.txt.

  -or-

• Follow these steps:

  1. Start your Alpha computer to the ARC Console.

  2. Select the Supplementary menu.

  3. Select Set Up the System.

  4. Select Edit Environment Variables (you should see "Name").

  5. Type Systempartition and press ENTER.

  6. Press the HOME key, and then press the DELETE key to remove

        everything on the line up to and including the last semicolon.
  

  7. Press ENTER, and then press ESC.

  8. Save the changes.

  9. Install Windows NT.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT versions 3.51 and 4.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.