Windows NT 4.0 Help

[JJADAMS]

Hi all, Trying to avoid a reload of this system. What it is doing is going through the normal boot proccess and gets to the Blue screen where is shows SP6a. Then just freezes there. Any ideas?

 

[LiLithTecH]

Can you boot into SAFE MODE (F8@startup)?

Then check the EVENT LOG to see what may be
causing the problem.

 

[SnapIT]

Usually a driver or hardware problem when that happens, are you overclocking? are the fans in your computer running? have you recently installed new drivers, updates or servicepacks?

 

[JJADAMS]

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
Can you boot into SAFE MODE (F8@startup)?

Then check the EVENT LOG to see what may be
causing the problem.

Does NT have safe mode? I didn't know. I'll try. that

Nothing was installed. Its on corprate PC. No overclocking

 

[mikecel79]

What is the exact STOP error you are getting? That'll go far in helping us fix the problem.

 

[Nothinman]

Safe Mode wasn't implemented in NT until 5.0

 

[SnapIT]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Safe Mode wasn't implemented in NT until 5.0

Sure it is, it's just called vga mode instead, it is the equivalent of 2000 and XP's safe mode...

It works the same way, loads only very basic drivers...

 

[Nothinman]

Sure it is, it's just called vga mode instead, it is the equivalent of 2000 and XP's safe mode...

It works the same way, loads only very basic drivers...

Not exactly. VGA mode is just that, it only loads the VGA driver instead of the 'real' driver. Safe mode uses other 'safer' drivers, I wouldn't be surprised if it even used BIOS access for the hard disks intead of the chipset-specific IDE driver.

I guess MS used to think the only driver that might cause problems was the video driver...

 

[SnapIT]

You are correct, i dunno what i was thinking of... heh... i got a NT4 server right next to me, so i could have checked it... it does however list all drivers being loaded, so you can easily see where it stops...

Or you can just try "last known good" and hope for the best...

 

[techwanabe]

Last Known Good Restistry is something to try. Boy, when we get the BSOD here at my office, we simply reinstall Windows - and we've gotten the BSOD alot here with NT, ALOT. We usually keep alot of Ghost images on a computer here to restore various systems to a basic state with certain applications preloaded.

I have had a wrong driver cause the BSOD at bootup, and if you can manage to change the offending driver, that might save you reloading windows NT. My boss has spent time looking up the dump messages from BSOD's on the Microsoft knowledgeless base and has found it nearly impossible to trouble shoot them... reinstalling has proved to be much faster and more efficient for us, sadly.