Q&A: Technical Information

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1

SUMMARY

The following information is also included in the Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that is available in the WINNT forum. More information on this topic may be available from Microsoft Information Services. Microsoft Information Services are available on the World Wide Web by connecting to http://www.microsoft.com. The FTP site is located at ftp.microsoft.com.

This article contains the Technical Information section, including the following topics:

• Couldn't Find NTLDR
• How the LibPath Environment Variable Works
• File Compression Programs and Drivers (Doublespace)
• Troubleshooting 16-bit Windows Applications Under Windows NT
• Using fault tolerance mirroring in Windows NT
• OS/2 Subsystem Takes Priority
• ANSI.SYS Support
• Extended and Expanded Memory for MS-DOS Applications
• Converting File Systems without Reformatting
• Removal of NTFS
• CHKDSK /F on an NTFS Drive
• MS-DOS Device Drivers in CONFIG.SYS
• Replacing Boot Sector Without Reinstalling
• Microsoft Visual C++ (MMD.386 virtual device driver not loaded)
• Microsoft Visual C++ (XXXX.EXE is not a valid Windows NT app.)
• What is Win32s?
• Recreating a Post Office

MORE INFORMATION

Couldn't Find NTLDR

Question:

When I select Windows NT from Boot loader it comes up with the following error:

   BOOT: Couldn't find NTLDR
   Please insert another disk

In order for Boot loader to start NTLDR must be in the root of the C Drive. If this file is missing you will get this error message. To fix this simply copy the NTLDR from the CD or the Floppies to the root of the C drive. If you are copying from the CD ROM, you will find NTLDR in the I386 directory and can copy it by going to the CD ROM Drive and entering:

   copy \i386\ntldr c:\

   expand ntldr.$ c:\ntldr

How the LibPath Environment Variable Works

Question:

I used to use the LIBPATH environment variable to search for DLL files. The environment variable is no longer available under Windows NT. What do I use as a replacement?

Answer:

There is no Win32 or NT LIBPATH environment variable or Registry entry under Windows NT. DLLs are found just like executable files (.EXE files) on the path.

File Compression Programs and Drivers (Doublespace)

Question:

Is Windows NT compatible with my hard disk compression driver? Does Windows NT support MS-DOS 6.0 Doublespace?

Answer:

You cannot place Windows NT on a partition with Stacker, DoubleSpace (Microsoft MS-DOS 6.0) or any other compression or partitioning software. In general, Windows NT will not be able to access data on a disk that requires a driver in the CONFIG.SYS file for MS-DOS unless a similar driver has been installed for Windows NT. Windows NT supports the MS- DOS FAT file system and applications. It does not support Doublespace, the integrated data compression technology available with MS-DOS 6.0. We are looking to make this technology available in a future release of Windows NT.

Troubleshooting 16-bit Windows Applications Under Windows NT

Question:

My 16-bit Windows application is not working under Windows NT. What should I do?

Answer:

Many different 16-bit applications designed to run under Windows 3.1 have been tested with Windows NT. When you are troubleshooting a 16- bit application that is not working properly under Windows, the following items should be taken into consideration:

• If possible, verify that the application works correctly under Windows 3.0 and 3.1.
• If the application requires a VxD (virtual device driver), it will not work properly under Windows NT.
• If the application requires Windows 3.0 or 3.1 to be running in 386 enhanced mode, the application will not function properly on either the DEC Alpha or MIPS versions of Windows NT at this time because these platforms currently emulate only the Intel 80286 architecture.
• Check Print Manager to see that a default printer has been selected. Some applications (such as Microsoft Word version 2.0 for Windows) will not function properly under Windows NT unless a default printer has been selected.
• Make sure that any dynamic link libraries (DLLs) used by the application are both current and locatable by the application (either in the system path or explicitly defined within the application or working directory.)

• Remove unnecessary device drivers
• Remove unnecessary hardware
• Boot with clean AUTOEXEC.NT and CONFIG.NT files
• Use standard device drivers in Windows NT (Standard VGA, and so forth)

Using fault tolerance mirroring in Windows NT

Question:

Why am I unable to choose the Establish Mirror or Stripe Set With Parity options under Disk Administrator in Windows NT?

Answer:

Only Windows NT Advanced Server supports the hard disk fault tolerance options of mirroring (which includes duplexing) and striping with parity.

OS/2 Subsystem Takes Priority

Question:

Why is that whenever I run my bound application it runs under the OS/2 subsystem and not the MS-DOS subsystem?

Answer:

Bound applications are designed and built so that they can be run under either OS/2 or MS-DOS. The OS2 SubSystem is not available on MIPS, therefore, bound applications will run as MS-DOS applications on MIPS.

When a bound application is run under Windows NT on an 80x86 CPU, it automatically runs under the OS2 SubSystem if available.

The OS2 SubSystem is available by default on an 80x86. In order to force bound applications to run as an MS-DOS application, use the FORCEDOS command. It can be found in your \%SystemRoot%\system32 directory.

ANSI.SYS Support

Question:

Does Windows NT support the use of ANSI.SYS?

Answer:

Windows NT does support the use of ANSI.SYS for backward compatibility with MS-DOS-based applications which require it. However, when you start a Command Prompt, you are not running ANSI.SYS, so escape sequences do not function.

1. Add the following line to your CONFIG.NT file in your %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32 directory:

         device=%systemroot%\system32\ansi.sys
   

2. Start a command prompt.

3. Run COMMAND.COM from MS-DOS 5.0. Note: This must be the version that comes with MS-DOS 5.0. If you just type COMMAND, the system starts another CMD.EXE from Windows NT. Check the version with the VER command. It should be "MS-DOS 5.00," not "Windows NT Version 3.10." Also, remember to include extra environment space if you are going to use the PROMPT variable.

   prompt $e[J

NOTE: When you type EXIT at the command prompt, only COMMAND.COM is exited; you need to type EXIT a second time to close the Windows NT command prompt.

Extended and Expanded Memory for MS-DOS Applications

Question:

How do I give my MS-DOS applications extended or expanded memory?

Answer:

As with Windows 3.1, a program information file (PIF) can be created for applications which need resources beyond those supplied to MS-DOS applications by default. See Chapter 11 (Other Application Environments) in the Windows NT System Guide for more information about using PIF files.

Converting File Systems without Reformatting

Question:

Can I convert my current file system to NTFS without reformatting the drive?

Answer:

Yes. The command-line utility, CONVERT.EXE, can be used to convert existing HPFS or FAT drives to the NTFS format. Note that no other conversions are supported at this time. It is only possible to convert FAT or HPFS to NTFS. To convert from NTFS back to FAT or HPFS, it is necessary to backup your drive, reformat it, and then restore the files back to it.

For example: To convert drive "D:" from FAT to NTFS format, type the following command:

   convert d: /fs:ntfs

Removal of NTFS

Question:

How do I remove my NTFS partition from my C Drive?

Answer:

The CONVERT utility cannot change an NTFS-formatted drive to a drive formatted by another file system. It is necessary to reformat an NTFS drive in order to change the file system. If Windows NT is not installed on the NTFS partition you are trying to remove, use the FORMAT command from a Windows NT command prompt to change the file system, or use the Disk Administrator to remove the partition directly.

Windows NT does not permit you to format the drive that it is installed on. To reformat a drive containing Windows NT, do the following:

1. Start Windows NT Setup.

2. Choose Custom Installation.

3. If Setup suggests a path in which to install Windows NT, press N to select a new location.

4. When Setup asks you to select the partition where you would like to

1. Either continue from here using the setup program to recreate and format the partition or exit Setup and use the FDISK and FORMAT commands to complete the process.

CHKDSK /F on an NTFS Drive

Question:

Why won't Windows NT let me run CHKDSK /F on NTFS formatted drives?

Answer:

There are two reasons for this:

1. If you see the message

         Cannot lock the current drive.
   

   make another drive current. For example, if you are trying to run CHKDSK /F on the D drive, make C current by typing "C:" and ENTER before issuing the CHKDSK command.

2. If you see the message

         Cannot lock the drive for single user.
   

   it indicates that there are open files on the drive you are attempting to check. If Windows NT is not installed to the drive in question, simply be sure that all applications that might have files open on the drive are closed. If you have a page file on the drive, that too must be moved by using the Virtual Memory application in Control Panel. You should then be able to run CHKDSK with the /F option.

   If Windows NT is installed to the NTFS drive for which you are trying to run CHKDSK /F, then it will not be possible to fix errors without restarting Windows NT.

   When CHKDSK /F is unable to execute, it prompts the user with a message similar to the following:

         Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.
         Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time
         the system reboots? (Y/N)
   

   If you choose Y, CHKDSK /F is executed the next time Windows NT is started.

MS-DOS Device Drivers in CONFIG.SYS

Question:

How do I load device drivers in CONFIG.SYS for my MS-DOS applications? Are there drivers that I will not be able to load?

Answer:

You can only use device drivers in CONFIG.SYS that touch parts of the system that are emulated by the Windows NT VDM (Virtual DOS Machine) code. This is why ANSI.SYS works (because the display is an emulated device) but ASPI drivers don't (since the hardware is not emulated.)

If you have some software that requires a device driver, it is likely that the vendors who produced it need to write a VDD (Virtual Device Driver) for that driver, and possibly a Windows NT Device Driver to support that VDD. The information required to write these drivers can be found in the Windows NT DDK.

Replacing Boot Sector Without Reinstalling

Question:

How do I replace my Windows NT boot sector without reinstalling Windows NT?

Answer:

1. Boot from the floppy setup disk you used to install Windows NT.

2. Choose the option to use the emergency repair disk that was created during installation.

3. Be sure the option to "verify boot files on your C: drive" is selected.

4. Proceed with the repair operation.

Microsoft Visual C++ (MMD.386 virtual device driver not loaded)

Question:

Why do I get the following error message when I run the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler Windows NT?

   MMD.386 virtual device driver not loaded.

Visual C++ requires a driver in the SYSTEM.INI file which is specific to Windows 3.1. You can not use the compiler in this fashion under Windows NT. Please refer to the MSLANG forum for more information.

Microsoft Visual C++ (XXXX.EXE is not a valid Windows NT application)

Question:

Why do I get the following error message when I run a Microsoft Visual C++ utility under Windows NT?

   XXX.EXE is not a valid Windows NT application.

Visual C++ applications require that you fix the executables in order for them to run correctly under Windows NT. You can get the fix from Library l of the MSLNG32 forum. The file is called B2FIX.EXE. It is a self-extracting archive and contains instructions on how to use this utility to fix the problem. This program is a NOT supported by Microsoft, but only provided so that MSVC will operate properly under Windows NT.

What is Win32s?

Question:

I know what Win32 is but what is Win32s?

Answer:

Win32s is an operating system extension that allows Win32 applications for Windows 95 and Windows NT to run on Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. This is done by adding some extra DLLs to Win31 and keeping the differences between Windows NT and Win31 in mind while writing your Win32s code (such as preemptive multitasking, memory management, and security). Win32s also includes a VxD. The Win32 SDK has more information on Win32s in its online documentation.

Recreating a Postoffice

Question:

I deleted the WGPO subdirectory. I assumed that I would be able to recreate it. It turned out to not be as easy as expected. Is there any way of recreating my mail system short of reloading Windows NT?

Answer:

Yes, by editing the Registry database. CAUTION: Before editing the Registry database, you might want to back up (export) any mail you want to retain before proceeding with the following:

1. Using File Manager, delete the postoffice directory and all subdirectories in it. The default name of the Windows NT postoffice directory is WGPO and it can be located in the root directory or a subdirectory of any available partition on the hard disk drive.

1. Start Registry Editor (REGEDT32.EXE) and select the following subkey to highlight it:

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Mail\Custom Commands
   

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Mail\Custom Messages
   

         HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Mail\Microsoft Mail
   

2. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard, or choose Delete from the Edit menu, and then press ENTER to confirm the action. One subkey at a time.