KB154647 - Setup Halts with "Windows Has Disabled Direct Disk Access"

Article ID: 154647

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.5
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition

This article was previously published under Q154647

SYMPTOMS

When you are installing Windows NT Workstation or Server version 4.0 from a flat directory on the hard disk, Setup may halt with the following message after setting the location of the source files:

   Windows has disabled direct disk access to protect your long file
   names. To override this protection, see the Lock /? Command for more
   information. The system has been halted. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart
   your computer.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98 system files have been installed on the hard disk.

RESOLUTION

Restart the computer, and then type "lock c:" (without quotation marks) at the command prompt. Windows returns the following message:

WARNING: The lock command enables direct disk access by programs that can CORRUPT file names and/or DESTROY disk data, resulting in the loss of files on your disk.

   Are you sure (Y/N)?

Press Y to return to the command prompt, and then run Windows NT Setup again.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows 95/98 includes volume-locking code to protect long file names from programs that make absolute INT25 read and INT26 write disk calls by- passing the FAT. The Windows 95/98 Command.com includes a LOCK command to allow you to perform an exclusive read/write lock for use with programs that do not use the volume-locking APIs included in Windows 95/98.

Keywords: kbsetup KB154647