KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q123750: Debugging Windows NT Setup STOP Screens

Article: Q123750
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): WinNT:3.5,3.51,4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsetup
Last Modified: 08-AUG-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

If a reproducible STOP screen error appears when you run Windows NT Setup, you
can usually debug the error either locally or remotely. Since Setup does not run
in debug mode by default, you must first change the Setup configuration to allow
debugging, and then run Setup again. How you then proceed depends upon whether
the STOP screen occurs during the text portion or the Graphical User Interface
(GUI) portion of Setup.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The STOP Screen Occurs While Booting the System from

the Setup Floppy Disk or During the Text Portion of Setup
---------------------------------------------------------

If the STOP screen occurs while booting the system from the Setup floppy disk or
during the text portion of Setup, and Setup was able to load enough of the
operating system to invoke the debugger, you may be able to set up a debug
session. To configure Setup for debugging when booting from the Setup floppy
disks:

1. Make a copy of the disk labeled "Setup Boot Disk." If you created your boot
  floppy disks using the WINNT or WINNT32 installation methods, use disk one of
  the three-disk set.

2. Edit the Txtsetup.sif file on the copy of the Setup Boot Disk.

3. Change the OsLoadOptions = "/nodebug" entry to read:

  OsLoadOptions = "/debug"

  NOTE: You can also add other debug parameters to the string inside the quotes.
  For example:

  OsLoadOptions = "/debug /debugport=com2 /baudrate=19200"

4. Save the changed file and boot from this modified disk.

If the startup sequence gets past the point at which Ntoskrnl.exe is loaded, then
the debugger is loaded.

The STOP Screen Occurs During the Text

Portion of a WINNT /B or WINNT32 /B Installation
------------------------------------------------

If the STOP screen occurs during the text portion of a WINNT /B or WINNT32 /B
installation, and your boot drive uses a File Allocation Table (FAT) partition,
edit the Txtsetup.sif file on the root of drive C and change the OsLoadOptions =
"/nodebug" entry to read:

  OsLoadOptions = "/debug"

  NOTE: You can also add other debug parameters to the string inside the quotes.
  For example:

  OsLoadOptions = "/debug /debugport=com2 /baudrate=19200"

1. Save the changed file and reboot into setup.

NOTE: You need to edit the C:\Txtsetup.sif file before booting to begin Setup but
after WINNT or WINNT32 has finished copying the temporary files to the hard
drive.

The STOP screen Occurs During the GUI Portion

of Setup and Your Boot Drive Uses a FAT Partition
-------------------------------------------------

If the STOP screen occurs during the GUI portion of Setup and your boot drive
uses a FAT partition, edit the Boot.ini file on drive C, and add the /debug
switch to the correct line in the [operating systems] section of the Boot.ini
file. To do this, boot from an MS-DOS floppy disk after the text portion of
Setup completes, change the Boot.ini file, and then reboot from the hard disk.

The Boot.ini file entry you need to edit should look similar to the following:

  multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows NT Server
  Version 3.5"

The /debug switch should be added after the text in quotation marks.

The STOP Screen Occurs During the GUI Portion

of Setup and Your Boot Drive Uses an NTFS Partition
---------------------------------------------------

If your boot drive uses a Windows NT file system (NTFS) partition and you need to
debug the GUI portion of Setup:

1. Create a boot disk for NTFS. For additional information, please see the
  following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  ARTICLE-ID: Q119467
  TITLE : Creating a Boot Disk for an NTFS or FAT Partition

2. Add the /debug switch to the correct entry in the [operating systems] section
  of the Boot.ini file, as well as any other switches needed to configure the
  computer for a remote or local debug. The entry to edit should look similar
  to the following:

  multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows NT Server Version 3.5"

  The /debug switch should be added after the text in quotation marks.

3. After Setup completes the text portion and prompts you to remove all floppy
  disks from the disk drives and reboot, place the boot disk you have created
  into drive A and reboot the system. This puts the system into debug mode for
  the GUI portion of Setup.

NOTE: The Windows NT Setup process uses standard NT kernel and system files
during setup. To load the appropriate debugging symbols, copy the entire
contents of the Support\Debug\<Hardware Platform>\Symbols folder of the
installation compact disc to your symbols folder. For example, when you attempt
to debug the Windows NT 3.5 setup, load the debug symbols from the Windows NT
3.5 compact disc.

For additional information about the Boot.ini and its contents, query on the
following words here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Boot.ini and arc and path

For more information on debug Setup for Windows NT (such as how to configure the
modem for dial in and additional debug settings and parameters), see the Windows
NT Executive Messages chapter in the "Windows NT Messages" guide of the Windows
NT 3.1 and 3.5 Resource Kits.

Additional query words: blue screen bluescreen hang halt 1 3 disk1 tshoot

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbsetup 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTW350 kbWinNTW350search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search
Version           : WinNT:3.5,3.51,4.0
Issue type        : kbhowto

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.