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Q139121: Windows 95 Client Reboots Upon Starting

Article: Q139121
Product(s): Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT Networking Issues
Version(s): 3.50 3.51
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 08-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51 
- Microsoft Windows 95 
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SYMPTOMS
========

If you have a shared network installation of Windows 95 that uses either a
Windows NT Server or Windows NT Workstation as a file server, and you change
either the file server's name or network share name and also make the
appropriate changes in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, Windows 95 no longer boots up
correctly. As Windows 95 is loading, the computer reboots.

CAUSE
=====

A shared network installation of Windows 95 is initiated by first running
NetSetup from the Windows 95 CD, installing a common shared directory on a file
server, connecting to the server from the client, and running setup. This
installs about 3 megabytes (MB) of Windows 95 files on ether the server or local
hard disk, which contain mostly computer and user specific settings.

In the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, a network connection is made to
\\server_name\share_name, and when "WIN" is run in real-mode, the bulk of the
Windows 95 files are loaded by the client from the file server.

Within one of the registry files, SYSTEM.DAT, there are many references to the
file server's name as it was during setup of Windows 95.

WORKAROUND
==========

If a network administrator wants to move the shared Windows 95 files, it is
possible to do so by changing all of the name references in the registry:

1. Save the registry of each client as a text file with REGEDIT.EXE.

2. Using a text editor, search for the old server or share name and replace it
  with the new name.

  In this text file, the names are preceded by an extra set of back slashes. The
  name appear as: \\\\server_name\\share_name.

3. Reload the modified text file with REGEDIT.EXE.

Additional query words: prodnt reboot

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNTW350 kbWinNTW350search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search kbWin95search kbZNotKeyword3
Version           : 3.50 3.51

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