Evaluation Period Expires on Non-Evaluation Copy of Windows NT

ID: Q173507

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

Although you did not use an evaluation copy of the Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM to install Windows NT, you may receive the following message:

The evaluation period for this installation of Windows NT has expired. This system will shutdown in one hour. To restore access to this installation of Windows NT, please upgrade this installation using a licensed distribution of this product.
One hour after you receive this message, your computer stops responding (hangs) while displaying an error message similar to the following message on a blue screen:

*** STOP 0x00000098 (0x647CDCB0,0x01BC9900,0x0002A300,0x00000000)
END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD


CAUSE

The boot floppy disks used for your installation of Windows NT were created from a Windows NT 4.0 evaluation CD-ROM. Using boot floppy disks from an evaluation copy of Windows NT invokes a trial period for that installation of Windows NT. When the trial period has expired, Windows NT stops every hour.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, upgrade the evaluation copy of Windows NT Server or Workstation with the full retail version using either of the following methods:

NOTE: Upgrading your installation using the upgrade retail version of Windows NT 4.0 is not possible. The full retail version of Windows NT 4.0 must be used. For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q154538 WinNT 4.0 Upgrade CD Will Not Upgrade WinNT 4.0 Installation


NOTE: Upgrading Windows NT 4.0 over an installation of Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 2 or later applied may prevent the computer from starting. You must uninstall the Service Pack prior to starting the upgrade. To remove Service Pack 2 or 3, start the Service Pack installation program and choose the Uninstall the Service Pack option when you are prompted. To uninstall Service Pack 4, use the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

In addition, if you have uninstalled Service Pack 3, you must make sure that the Windows NT security files are not replaced during the upgrade. To do so, follow these steps to perform the upgrade:

  1. Copy the I386 folder from the Windows NT 4.0 full retail CD-ROM to the hard disk. In this folder, rename the following files as shown below:

    Original name New name
    Samsrv.dl_ Samsrv.org
    Samlib.dl_ Samlib.org
    Winlogon.ex_ Winlogon.org


  2. Expand the Windows NT Service Pack 3 files in a separate folder with the following command:

    nt4sp3_i.exe /x


  3. Copy the following files from the Service Pack 3 folder to the I386 folder you created:

    Samsrv.dll
    Samlib.dll
    Winlogon.exe


  4. To begin the full retail installation, click Start, click Run, type path\winnt32.exe /b, where path is the location of the I386 folder you created, and then click OK.


  5. When you are prompted during the Windows NT Setup program, choose the upgrade option.


For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q146887 Repairing Windows NT After the Application of Service Pack 3
If you are running Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 (SP4), use the following steps to resolve the Stop 0x00000098 error message.

NOTE: There are several differences between Windows NT 4.0 SP4 and earlier Service Packs, so the recovery procedures are different.
  1. Create the 3 Windows NT Setup floppy disks from the Windows NT 4.0 full-retail CD-ROM, and then copy the Setupdd.sys file from Windows NT 4.0 SP4 to Setup disk 2.


  2. Insert Setup disk 1 into the disk drive and restart the server. Insert Setup disk 2 into the disk drive when you are prompted, and press R when the Welcome to Setup screen is displayed to start the emergency repair process.


  3. When you are prompted, choose Verify Windows NT System Files only, and follow the instructions on the screen to remove the Windows NT 4.0 SP4 files.


  4. Insert Setup disk 1, and then restart the server. Choose the upgrade option when you are prompted.


  5. During the upgrade process, create an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).


  6. When the upgrade is completed, run the emergency repair process.


  7. Choose Inspect Registry Files only, and then choose SYSTEM (System configuration) only.



MORE INFORMATION

When the error message listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article is displayed, the following information is recorded in the system event log:

Event ID: 26
Source: Application Popup
Type: Information
Category: None




Additional query words: corporate desktop eval timebomb time bomb 0x98 test beta process notification 


Keywords          : kberrmsg ntstop ntsetup NTSrvWkst 
Version           : winnt:3.51,4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: March 25, 1999