WINNTP.EXE Fails If Windows 95 Boot Sector Is Installed

Last reviewed: April 24, 1996
Article ID: Q148516
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5 and 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5 and 3.51
  • Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit versions 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOMS

When you use WINNTP.EXE, a CPS utility in the Windows NT Resource Kit versions 3.5 and 3.51, on a system that has Windows 95, it fails and the following error message appears:

   Setup does not recognize the boot sector of drive X as that of a
   bootable drive.

   Setup cannot continue.

where X is the drive letter of the active boot partition.

CAUSE

When you install Windows 95, the boot sector of the active partition is modified. WINNTP.EXE is not able to interpret the Windows 95 boot sector.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do the following:

  1. Re-install Windows 95.

  2. Create a Windows 95 Boot disk and copy the Windows 95 SYS.COM to the disk.

  3. Boot the system to MS-DOS 6.22.

  4. Run WINNTP.EXE. Make sure you have the current version of the Emergency Repair Disk.

  5. Use the Windows 95 Boot disk to boot the system.

  6. Use the Windows 95 SYS.COM to transfer the Windows 95 system files.

  7. Boot your system using the three Windows NT Boot floppy disks.

  8. Press R for Repair at the Windows NT "Welcome to Setup" screen.

  9. Clear the X from all Repair options except for Inspect Boot Sector and select Continue.

  10. Press Enter at the Floppy/Hard Drive Detection screen.

  11. In the Mass Storage Detection screen, make sure that the correct

        adapter driver has been detected. If it is correct, press Enter. If it
        is not correct, press S to specify the correct adapter driver.
    

  12. Insert the Emergency Repair Disk when you are instructed to do so. The

        boot sector is replaced and you must restart the computer.
    

The system can now dual boot between Windows NT and Windows 95.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT Resource Kit versions 3.5 and 3.51. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

WINNTP checks the logical sector zero offset 3 of the active partition for the OEM name of "MS-DOS 5.0" or "NTFS" (without quotation marks). This is done to determine a valid boot sector. The OEM name for Windows 95 is MSWIN4.0.


KBCategory: kbtool
KBSubcategory: ntreskit ntutil
Additional reference words: prodnt 3.50 3.51 win95


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Last reviewed: April 24, 1996
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