KB123765 - The WINNT.SIF File Created by WINNT and WINNT32

When you run WINNT or WINNT32, a WINNT.SIF file is created and placed on disk two of the three boot floppy disk set. WINNT.SIF is not supplied with the disk-set package of Windows NT and not created when you run WINNT /OX.

WINNT.SIF is a text file containing the following:

   [Data]
   MsDosInitiated = 1

WINNT.SIF instructs Windows NT Setup to look for installation files in a temporary directory on the hard disk instead of a CD-ROM. If it does not exist, Setup looks for installation files in either the CD-ROM or floppy disk drive.

If you try to use WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disks to install Windows NT from a CD-ROM, one of the following error message appears:

Setup was unable to locate the hard drive partition prepared by the MS-DOS portion of Setup.

-OR-

Setup is unable to locate the hard drive partition prepared by the MS-DOS portion of Setup.

You can change source file direction of the WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disks to be like the CD-ROM installation floppy disks by changing the entry in the WINNT.SIF file above to "MsDosInitiated = 0" (without the quotes) or by deleting the file. Similarly, you can modify the CD-ROM installation floppy disk to act like the WINNT or WINNT32-created floppy disk by creating and adding the WINNT.SIF file.