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Q255036: Microsoft Support Policy on Hardware Not On Windows NT HCL

Article: Q255036
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): 2000,3.51,4.0,4.0a,4.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): KBW2KHOMEkbfaq
Last Modified: 14-MAR-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server, versions 3.51, 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.51, 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51, 4.0 
- Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server versions 4.0a, 4.5 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server 
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

Microsoft provides the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for Windows NT-based
products because Windows NT requires greater control of the hardware compared to
other operating systems such as MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows, for security,
stability and efficiency reasons. This implies a deeper knowledge and usage of
the computer hardware on the part of the operating system. Small
incompatibilities and differences from industry standards of that hardware can
have an adverse effect on the stability of the Windows NT operating system. For
information about hardware that is supported in Windows NT, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q131303 Latest Windows 2000 and Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

NOTE: Small Business Server uses the Windows NT HCL.

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

A hardware device is unsupported if it is not listed on the HCL. In order for a
computer to be considered an HCL-compliant system, the computer must be listed
on the HCL. If a computer is not listed on the HCL, but is comprised of hardware
from the HCL (for example: motherboard from a reference system, SCSI controller,
video adapter, and network card) it is not considered an HCL computer. Any
computer that contains a device that is not on the HCL is not considered
compliant. If a particular computer is on the HCL, it can contain any
combination of devices listed on the HCL and still qualify for support even
though the system as a whole was not tested.

Microsoft follows the guidelines and troubleshooting steps listed below on
non-HCL equipment support issues:

Step 1: Hardware Configuration Inquiry
--------------------------------------

1. The Microsoft Support Professional asks about the hardware configuration.

2. If the hardware device is not on the Windows NT HCL, the support professional
  informs the customer that 1 incident is charged from the customer's service
  agreement (prior to troubleshooting).

3. Upon agreement, the support professional proceeds to Step 2 below. Microsoft
  does not guarantee a solution in cases with non-HCL devices.

4. If there is no agreement, where the customer feels that an incident should
  not be charged, the support professional proceeds to Step 3 below.

Step 2: Troubleshooting
-----------------------

A standard troubleshooting process is used to isolate the cause of the problem.
The following lists some of the resources and steps that the Microsoft Support
Professionals uses, which is also available to you:

- Microsoft Knowledge Base is available to customers through Microsoft TechNet
  and Microsoft World Wide Web (WWW) site at:

  http://msdn.microsoft.com/support/

- Determine if the problem occurs on supported hardware device.

- Check hardware and/or driver configuration by removing unsupported (or
  suspected) components (for example: adapter cards and video cards). Issues
  that relate to unsupported systems and motherboards cannot be approached in
  this fashion.

During the course of troubleshooting, if the problem is isolated to a non-HCL
device, the support professional proceeds to Step 3 below and closes the call
(incident).

If there is no solution to the problem, the support professional explains the
reason and recommends constructive alternatives, such as one or all of the
following:

- The engineer offers the phone and Bulletin Board Service (BBS) number or Web
  site for the motherboard, adapter card or other device manufacturer, if
  available, so that the customer can ask for troubleshooting suggestions and
  possible updated third-party drivers.

- The support professional may recommend that the customer request the hardware
  vendor to attempt the installation of Windows NT on the system or configure
  it in such a way that Windows NT becomes stable and functional.

- The support professional informs the customer of BIOS or firmware updates.
  Some information on the update is available in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Step 3: Alternative Resources
-----------------------------

Enterprise Customer Unit (ECU) policy, in regards to a Windows NT failure related
to Non-HCL hardware, is for the support professional to fax the following
Knowledge Base article to the customer:

Windows 2000 Setup Troubleshooting Guide (when available)

-or-

Windows NT 4.0 Setup Troubleshooting Guide

-or-

Windows NT 3.5x Setup Troubleshooting Guide

Alternatively, the support professional can provide information on the location
of the same file(s) and where they can be downloaded (Microsoft WWW server, FTP
server, and Microsoft Download Library). If the customer elects to bypass Step 2
(does not wish to be charged for 1 incident), then the customer may attempt to
resolve the issue without charge using the troubleshooting documents mentioned
above. If the customer wishes to proceed with an incident charge even after
completing Step 2, the support professional can inform the customer of the
Microsoft Consulting Line at (800) 936-1565.

Server Down or Data Loss Issues
-------------------------------

There is a possibility that an installation or upgrade of the Windows NT
operating system on unsupported hardware results in loss of some operating
system functionality or data. In cases where the previous operating system has
been Windows NT or another Microsoft operating system (such as MS-DOS, Windows
3.1x, Windows 95, OS/2 1.3), the support professional determines if the issue is
a problem with the operating system or non-HCL hardware related. If the problem
is the operating system, the support professional will file a report and
evaluate the problem to provide a fix. The support professional will also
attempt to recover the system.

If the problem is related to hardware incompatibility, the customer will need to
restore the previous operating system and data from backup. If the customer does
not have a backup of the previous operating system, the support professional
will assist the customer in installing only the previous, working operating
system. This does not include other drive file structures, data or security, or
any other previous operating system settings. The support professional will then
refer the customer to the Microsoft Consulting Line for any further file
structure (not data) recovery, domain configuration (user accounts, trust,
shares, printers, replication) recovery, as applicable.

In cases where the previous operating system is not a Microsoft operating system
(for example: Power PC system with AIX, OS/2 or Macintosh operating system),
Microsoft cannot assist customers in the recovery of their system. Requisite
knowledge and experience to perform recovery on non- Microsoft operating systems
do not exist in Microsoft Product Support Services.

Additional query words: smallbiz win2000hotsetup

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Keywords          : KBW2KHOME kbfaq
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT351search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbwin2000AdvServ kbwin2000AdvServSearch kbwin2000DataServ kbwin2000DataServSearch kbwin2000Serv kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTSEntSearch kbWinNTSEnt400 kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTAdvSerSearch kbWinNTAdvServ400 kbWinNTAdvServ351 kbwin2000ServSearch kbwin2000Search kbwin2000ProSearch kbwin2000Pro kbNTTermServ400 kbNTTermServSearch kbWinNTS351search kbAudDeveloper kbSBServSearch kbWinAdvServSearch kbWinDataServSearch kbSBServ400a kbSBServ450
Version           : :2000,3.51,4.0,4.0a,4.5
Issue type        : kbinfo

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