I have decided to take on this project to help another company that has been using a Windows NT system to run some of their critical field equipment.
Unfortunately there is now an error which appears to be along the lines of either a drive failure or a corruption within essential boot files. Unfortunately there is no backup or ERD of any kind and they do not have access to the original install floppy diskettes for NT 4.0.
Transcript of the error:
OS Loader V4.01
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT\System32\hal.dll
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT\system32\config\system
Disk I/O error: Status = 00001000
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT\system32\config\system.alt
Disk I/O error: Status = 00001000
Windows NT could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM
You can attempt to repair this file by starting Windows NT
Setup using the original Setup floppy disk or CD-ROM.
Select 'r' at the first screen to start repair.
At this time I have proposed that repair of the drive is the best option as it would present a quick and elegant solution.
I was looking for any advice from other users who may have spent more time with this era of technology my proposed solution looks like this.
- Find a Windows NT 4.0 install diskette image
- Create a new set of Windows NT 4.0 boot diskettes using a floppy burner (I believe that the installer was spread over 3 total)
- Use the Windows repair tools included with the installer to attempt repair of the drive
I believe that this may result in a pretty quick fix that can bring their system back online such that proper ERD and backups can be made for the future.
If anyone has any criticism or concerns or thinks that this wont work, please comment below,