Article ID: 246547
Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
This article was previously published under Q246547
SYMPTOMS
When you start your computer, you may see a service pack designation similar to the following on the blue startup screen:
RC 1.x
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if you install a hotfix that includes a newer version of the Windows NT Kernel (Ntoskrnl.exe) than the one that was included in the latest service pack that you installed on your computer.
RESOLUTION
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that this article describes. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.
To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.
The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:
Date Time Version Size File name
------------------------------------------------------------
12-Feb-2002 15:39 4.0.1381.7132 957,184 Ntkrnlmp.exe
12-Feb-2002 15:38 4.0.1381.7132 936,832 Ntoskrnl.exe
MORE INFORMATION
The version of the Ntoskrnl.exe file is not part of an official release or service pack. A hotfix that updates the Ntoskrnl.exe file only changes the version of the Ntoskrnl.exe file - it does not change the version of Windows NT.
The following registry key holds the designation information:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\CSDVersion
Because Ntoskrnl.exe populates the CSDVersion value when you start your computer with this embedded information, the incorrect value is displayed.
The presence of the incorrect version string does not mean that the service pack is installed improperly, or that a component has been replaced with an earlier version.
To verify that the hotfixed component is in place, check the "last modified" date and time of the fixed component in your installation with the last modified date and time of the same file in the last service pack applied or of the same file in the hotfix installation directory.
The following table shows the Ntoskrnl.exe file version numbers, RC designations, and the Service Pack versions for several hotfixes:
KB Article Version of NTOSKRNL.EXE RC Designation Service Pack
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q180648 4.0.1381.20 1.35 3
Q234557 4.0.1387.32985 1.1 4
Q216913 4.0.1381.135 1.2 4
Q232230 4.0.1381.284 1.6 4
Q235350 4.0.1381.284 1.6 4
For additional information about hotfix versions, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
222507 Incorrect Service Pack Level Displayed After Hotfix Applied
Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbprb kbui KB246547
