Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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Murf Oscar
Posts: 17
Joined: 28. Jun 2018, 03:39

Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Murf Oscar »

In my quest to run an application requiring Windows 95 (or higher) or Windows NT 4.0+ under Windows 10 have acquired a full copy of NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a. The app ran for me without any issues when I was running Windows 95, and possibly later versions.

As background, have attempted to run the app via Oracle VM supporting Windows XP. The app, essentially a census data file viewer, loads and runs to the point where it asks for the first data CD to be loaded and then stops. Ditto for Windows 10. The show stopper appears to be the non-loading of setup.exe files on each of 23 high capacity data cds. Running them directly from any randomly selected CD produces a system message that the program cannot be run.

The present problem is with loading Windows NT 4.0 upto Oracle VM. This software on CD comes in two parts, "Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Starts here" and "Windows NT Workstation 1-2 Processor Edition Version 4.0". "Service Pack 6a" is on another CD. Also in the package found 3 x 3.5in diskettes "1-2 Processor CPU Windows NT Series Version 4.0".

Having first set up a separate instance of Oracle VM, on inserting the "Starts here" CD the following message appears on the VM screen: "FATAL: No bootable media found!" Snip of CD directory attached. Inspected the Setup folder, there were were files available for loading.

Referred to readme.txt which advised that if startup.exe would not start automatically, is should be started directly. Did this through Windows Explorer and was presented with the start of the questions usually encountered when installing Microsoft products for the first time.

Then it occurred to me that startup.exe would be running outside of Oracle VM and rather that risk any impact on the Windows 10 host I aborted startup.exe.

Need assurance that startup.exe can be started directly within Oracle VM, and will appreciate guidance on how this can be achieved.

Thank you.

Murf Oscar
Attachments
NTW40SH.JPG
NTW40SH.JPG (49.25 KiB) Viewed 4780 times
andyp73
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Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by andyp73 »

Strange though it may seem, the "Starts here" CD probably isn't the place you want to start!

You need to install Windows NT into the virtual machine you have configured and to do so you need to boot from the install CD - it will be the one labelled "Windows NT Workstation 1-2 Processor Edition Version 4.0". Once the installation has completed then you can apply the service pack, install the guest additions and away you go...

Afterthought - if the "Windows NT Workstation" CD isn't bootable (that may not have come until SP3) then you will need to create image files from the floppy disks and boot from those instead.

-Andy.
My crystal ball is currently broken. If you want assistance you are going to have to give me all of the necessary information.
Please don't ask me to do your homework for you, I have more than enough of my own things to do.
Murf Oscar
Posts: 17
Joined: 28. Jun 2018, 03:39

Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Murf Oscar »

Appreciate quick response. Tried booting from Instal CD with no success. Have now removed Windows NT 4.0 instance of Oracle MV for fresh start.

Copies of Instal CD directory and AUTORUN.INF attached.

Haven't installed any Guest Additions. Problem?

Also, when I get windows NT installed, just run SP6a?

Thanks for your patience.

Murf Oscar
BillG
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Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by BillG »

The guest additions are patches for the OS to make it run better in a vm, so obviously you cannot install them until after you install the OS in the vm. I would not install them until after I installed the service pack.

NT4 came with both CD and 3.5" floppy versions of the installation media, so you have both as well as the service pack.
Last edited by BillG on 28. Jun 2018, 09:42, edited 1 time in total.
Bill
Murf Oscar
Posts: 17
Joined: 28. Jun 2018, 03:39

Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Murf Oscar »

Missing attachments.
Attachments
CD Version 4.0.JPG
CD Version 4.0.JPG (41.63 KiB) Viewed 4771 times
AUTORUN.JPG
AUTORUN.JPG (29.89 KiB) Viewed 4771 times
Murf Oscar
Posts: 17
Joined: 28. Jun 2018, 03:39

Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Murf Oscar »

Happily, perhaps because I had the Instal CD in the drawer before creating the new instance of Oracle VM, on completion same the installation of Windows NT started automatically and went through to successful completion.

Unfortunately to log into Windows 10 was then required to press Cntl + Alt + Delete to log in. Unfortunately doing so took me back to log on to Windows 10.

So near yet so far. Sympathy and suggestions will be appreciated.

Murf Oscar
Murf Oscar
Posts: 17
Joined: 28. Jun 2018, 03:39

Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Murf Oscar »

Correction:

"Unfortunately was then required to press Cntl + Alt + Delete to log in to Windows NT. Unfortunately doing so took me out of Oracle VM and back to the Windows 10 login".

Anyone know of any way to bypass Windows NT login, or set it up with no password?

Thanks andy and BillG for getting me this far.

Murf Oscar
Martin
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Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by Martin »

Have a look at the manual. You should be able to send Ctrl-Alt-Del to the guest using HostKey-Del.
BillG
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Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by BillG »

Special key combinations like Alt-Ctrl-Del are intercepted by the host, not passed to the guest. You can use the key combination Martin gave you, or you can use the Input tab at the top of the vm window to send Alt-Ctrl-Del to the vm.

That was the standard way to log in to NT. It is still the way you log into Windows Server (Press Alt-Ctrl-Del).
Bill
WindowsXP
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Re: Seeking Windows NT 4.0 Installation Assurance

Post by WindowsXP »

Now I have a problem going around Windows NT 4. I'm trying to install SP6a, but it fails because I need to get High Encryption version of the SP. I don't think its somewhere on the Internet. I searched the webs for a solution, found one but it doesnt work. Anyone has an idea on how to install SP6a on Windows NT 4 Server guest?
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