Windows NT Does Not Boot to a Partition That Starts More Than 4 GB into DiskID: Q197295
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X86-based computers running Windows NT do not start if the "multi()"
syntax is used in the Boot.ini file and the first sector of the partition
to which Windows NT is installed is 4 GB or more into the
disk. That is, if the cumulative size of other partitions and unpartitioned
free space before the partition to which Windows NT is installed is greater
than or equal to 4 GB.
The following error text displayed in this situation:
Boot record signature AA55 not found (25EB found) Windows NT could not
start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem. Could
not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware.
Please check the Windows NT documentation about hardware disk
configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information.
This error is caused by a miscalculation that takes place during the boot
sequence where Windows NT is attempting to compute the starting location of
the partition to which Windows NT is installed.
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0. For additional information, please see the following article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT version 4.0 Service Pack 5.
This problem can be avoided by using the "scsi()" syntax in the Boot.ini
file because a different code-path is invoked that does not include the
mathematical errors encountered when using the "multi()" syntax. For more
information about the Boot.ini file, please see the following article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q102873 BOOT.INI and ARC Path Naming Conventions and Usage
Additional query words: 4.00
Keywords : kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00 nt4sp5fix
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug Last Reviewed: July 14, 1999