Microsoft KB Archive/152339

= Windows NT NTFS Time Stamps Mismatch CD-ROM After Upgrading =

Article ID: 152339

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.1
 * Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server 3.1
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51

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This article was previously published under Q152339





SYMPTOMS
After you perform a Windows NT installation or upgrade (using the three Windows NT setup diskettes) onto a pre-existing NTFS partition, you will find that the Windows NT system files' time stamps do not match the installation CD-ROM time stamps. The time stamps will differ by plus or minus the difference in your time zone and the Greenwich Mean Time(GMT) zone.



CAUSE
When you install Windows NT for the first time on a given computer, NT always installs to a FAT partition whose time stamps are local time, then converts the partition to NTFS on the final reboot. During the GUI portion of setup, you are prompted to indicate your time zone, but when NT converts the partition to NTFS, it changes the time stamps to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, after NT is installed, File Manager adds or subtracts the number of hours separating your time zone from GMT to arrive at your correct local time.

For example, if you were operating in U.S. eastern standard time (EST), which is five hours behind GMT time, File Manager would subtract five hours from the stored GMT time to equal your local time. If EST was 10:57 a.m., the following settings would be registered:

  CD-ROM time:               10:57 a.m.   NTFS GMT time:              3:57 p.m.   File Manager displays:     10:57 p.m. (3:57 p.m. - 5 hours)

This process does not work correctly when you install or upgrade Windows NT onto an existing NTFS partition. When you do this, the setup program copies all the files to the NTFS partition using only local time. As a result, it does not know what time zone you are in, and hence cannot add or subtract time to the files to be stored in GMT time. After NT is finished installing, the time stamps displayed by File Manager will be different from those shown by the CD-ROM. This is because the setup program is now adding or subtracting the time-zone offset to or from your local time rather than GMT time.

For the scenario described above, if the person had reinstalled or upgraded Windows NT onto an existing NTFS partition, the following settings would be registered:

  CD-ROM time:               10:57 a.m.   NTFS EST (local) time:     10:57 a.m.   File Manager displays:      5:57 a.m. (10:57 a.m. - 5 hours)



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, perform an upgrade using the Winnt32.exe program while under Windows NT.

In this case the files will be copied from the CD-ROM to the local NTFS partition, and Windows NT will know to store the files in GMT on the NTFS partition. After NT is installed or upgraded, all the time stamps will match those on the CD-ROM. For example:

  CD-ROM time:                  10:57 a.m.   NTFS GMT time:                 3:57 p.m.   File Manager displays:        10:57 a.m.  (3:57 p.m. - 5 hours)



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT versions 3.50 and 3.51. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Keywords: KB152339

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