Knowledge Base

The WINNT.SIF File Created by WINNT and WINNT32

Article ID: 123765

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q123765

When you run WINNT or WINNT32, a WINNT.SIF file is created and placed on disk two of the three boot floppy disk set. WINNT.SIF is not supplied with the disk-set package of Windows NT and not created when you run WINNT /OX.

WINNT.SIF is a text file containing the following:

   [Data]
   MsDosInitiated = 1

WINNT.SIF instructs Windows NT Setup to look for installation files in a temporary directory on the hard disk instead of a CD-ROM. If it does not exist, Setup looks for installation files in either the CD-ROM or floppy disk drive.

If you try to use WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disks to install Windows NT from a CD-ROM, one of the following error message appears:

Setup was unable to locate the hard drive partition prepared by the MS-DOS portion of Setup.

-OR-

Setup is unable to locate the hard drive partition prepared by the MS-DOS portion of Setup.

You can change source file direction of the WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disks to be like the CD-ROM installation floppy disks by changing the entry in the WINNT.SIF file above to "MsDosInitiated = 0" (without the quotes) or by deleting the file. Similarly, you can modify the CD-ROM installation floppy disk to act like the WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disk by creating and adding the WINNT.SIF file.

Additional query words: prodnt floppies

Keywords: kbsetup KB123765

Microsoft KB Archive/123765

The WINNT.SIF File Created by WINNT and WINNT32