Using an Emergency Repair Disk Created by Windows NT
ID: Q103280
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The information in this article applies to:
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Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
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Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
SUMMARY
During Windows NT installation, an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) is created
that includes the following:
- System Registry hive (SYSTEM._).
- Software Registry hive (SOFTWARE._).
- The Security Account Manager (SAM) and Security database registry hives (SAM._ and SECURITY._).
- Default user profile (default._).
- New user profile (ntuser.da_) Windows NT version 4.0 only.
- The Setup.log file.
- The Autoexec.nt file.
- The Config.nt file.
MORE INFORMATION
If something happens to your computer's hard disk drive to corrupt or change
your startup system files or Windows NT registry, you can use the ERD to get the
system back into a bootable state. After you restart the Windows NT
operating system, you can then perform a full recovery by restoring from
your last system backup.
For example, you have a computer running Windows NT that allows you to specify
which operating system to start (MS-DOS or Windows NT) by using the
boot loader menu. If the MS-DOS SYS command is inadvertently run on
drive C, you will no longer be able to start (boot) Windows NT. You
will only be able to start MS-DOS.
The boot loader is a small program that resides in the first physical
sector(s) of the active partition. Windows NT stores the old boot
loader code into a new file called Bootsect.dos. Windows NT replaces
the boot loader sector with a new loader program stub. This new loader
finds the NTLDR program and runs it. NTLDR switches into protected
mode operation and loads a mini-file system, which then reads
Boot.ini. Boot.ini presents the boot loader information used to start
your system with Windows NT or MS-DOS. In the above example, when the
SYS command was run from MS-DOS, the boot loader sector was
overwritten by MS-DOS's boot sector. This MS-DOS boot sector does not
know anything about Windows NT or boot loader.
Sample Repair Procedure
The procedure below explains how to recreate the Windows NT boot
sector information, allowing the dual boot features to be reactivated
using the ERD created during installation:
- Start your computer using Windows NT Setup Disk 1, and then Disk 2.
- At the first screen, press "R" for Repair.
- You will see four selections. All four will be selected by
default. Move the selector bar with the arrow keys to highlight the
options. Press ENTER to select/clear the options.
[ ] Inspect registry files
[ ] Inspect startup environment
[ ] Verify Windows NT system files
[X] Inspect Boot Sector
- Select only the option "Inspect boot Sector" option. Move the selector bar to
the line that says to Continue, and then press ENTER.
- Let Windows NT perform the mass storage detection. If necessary
select "S" to specify additional drivers if your computer requires
Original Equipment Manufacturer drivers.
- When prompted to do so, insert the ERD that was
originally created for this computer.
(Or press Esc to let Windows NT search for Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 repair information)
- Repair will run the CHKDSK utility, verify the boot sector, and then rebuild it if
necessary.
- You will be prompted to restart your computer when the process is
complete.
When you restart your system, the Windows NT Boot Loader screen
appears, allowing you to choose between MS-DOS or Windows NT.
Additional Sources of Information
For more information about using the Emergency Repair Disk, see:
Q129037
Windows NT 3.5x and 4.0 Emergency Repair Process Screens
Q150497
How to Repair Windows NT System Files Without a CD-ROM Attached
Q126464 Repair Disk Utility Does Not Update SAM and Security Hives
Q122857 RDISK /S and RDISK /S- Options in Windows NT
Additional query words:
prodnt tshoot repair ERD
Keywords : kbsetup ntsetup
Version : 3.50 3.51 4.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :
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