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Q154418: Cannot Upgrade Windows 95 to Windows NT Workstation 4.0

Article: Q154418
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): 4.0 95
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): win95
Last Modified: 10-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows 95 
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SUMMARY
=======

You can automatically upgrade to Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 from MS-DOS
version 6.x, Windows or Windows for Workgroups version 3.x, or Windows NT
Workstation version 3.x. If you install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 in the same
folder as your existing installation of Windows or Windows for Workgroups 3.x,
your existing installation of Windows is preserved so you can dual-boot between
both versions.

However, you cannot upgrade to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 from Windows 95. In
addition, you cannot install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 in the same folder as an
existing Windows 95 installation. To install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on a
computer running Windows 95, you must install it in a new folder. After doing
so, you can dual-boot Windows 95 and Windows NT, but you must reinstall your
Windows-based programs for them to function properly in Windows NT. In addition,
any custom settings that are present in Windows 95 will not be present in
Windows NT.

The inability to upgrade an existing Windows 95 installation is a known
limitation of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 that will be addressed in a later
version of Windows NT Workstation.

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

There are two primary reasons that Windows NT Workstation 4.0 cannot upgrade
Windows 95:

- The registry structure is not identical in Windows 95 and Windows NT
  Workstation 4.0. This causes many programs to store settings in one location
  when you install the program in Windows 95 and store the settings in a
  different location when you install the program in Windows NT. Therefore,
  when you install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 over Windows 95, the Windows NT
  Setup program is unable to transfer the settings from the Windows 95 registry
  to the Windows NT registry.

- The Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Setup program cannot determine which devices
  Windows NT Workstation 4.0 does not support. In addition, Windows 95 supports
  more devices than Windows NT Workstation 4.0, so it is possible for a device
  that is not supported by Windows NT Workstation 4.0 to be installed and
  functioning properly in Windows 95.

  Because the Setup program cannot determine which devices Windows NT
  Workstation 4.0 does not support, it cannot prevent the installation process
  from proceeding on a computer that contains an unsupported device. This may
  cause the installation process to fail, or may cause the device to fail or
  other problems to arise after the installation process is finished.

To install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on a computer running Windows 95, follow
these steps:

1. Check to see if the devices installed in your computer and the programs that
  you currently use in Windows 95 are supported by Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

2. Install Windows NT Workstation 4.0 in a new folder, and then verify that you
  are able to successfully dual-boot between Windows NT and Windows 95. Note
  that installing Windows NT Workstation on the same drive on which Windows 95
  is installed is not recommended.

3. Reinstall any Windows-based programs that you want to use in Windows NT
  Workstation 4.0. If the program you are reinstalling has separate Windows 95
  and Windows NT versions, be sure to install the Windows NT version of the
  program instead of reinstalling the Windows 95 version. The Windows NT
  version of the program should not be installed in the same folder in which
  the Windows 95 version is installed.

4. If you do not want to run Windows 95 after installing Windows NT Workstation
  4.0, manually remove the Windows 95 folder.

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Keywords          : win95 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWin95search kbZNotKeyword3
Version           : 4.0 95

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