Windows NT 4.0

Support

This guest operating system is supported on the following VMware products:

• VMware Workstation 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2, 4.0.5, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 5.0 - Service Pack 6a required
• VMware ACE - Service Pack 6a required
• VMware GSX Server 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 - Service Pack 6a required
• VMware ESX Server 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.5, 2.5.1- Service Pack 6a required
  No support for Virtual SMP

  Note: If you are installing a guest operating system through VMware VirtualCenter, be sure it is supported under the VMware product - ESX Server or GSX Server - on which you are running the virtual machine.

General Installation Notes

Be sure to read General Guidelines for All VMware Products as well as this guide to installing your specific guest operating system.

You can install Windows NT 4.0 (Workstation or Server) in a virtual machine using the standard Windows NT CD. If your VMware product supports it, you may also install from a PXE server.

VMware GSX Server: If you intend to run a Windows NT virtual machine with IDE virtual disks on a multiprocessor host computer, you may notice slower than expected disk input/output performance. For more information, see Disk Performance in Windows NT Guests on Multiprocessor Hosts in the GSX Server documentation.

Before installing the operating system, be sure that you have already created and configured a new virtual machine

Installation Steps

1. Insert the Windows NT CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2. Power on the virtual machine to start installing Windows NT.
3. Follow the installation steps as you would for a physical machine.
4. Virtual disks support DMA transfers for better performance.

   You can enable the feature after installing Windows NT. You need the NT Service Pack 3 or 4 CD to enable this option. Once the virtual machine is running Windows NT, insert the SP3 or SP4 CD in the drive, run DMACHECK.EXE from the \SUPPORT\UTILS\I386 folder on the CD and click the Enabled option for the IDE controller/channel that is configured with the virtual disk (typically channel 0 only, unless you have the virtual machine configured with multiple virtual disks).

   Note: The DMA option should not be enabled for any IDE channel that has a CD-ROM drive configured for it. Enabling DMA for such a configuration causes an error. If you have a virtual disk and a CD-ROM attached as master and slave to the primary IDE controller (channel 0) and you want to enable DMA, power off the virtual machine and use the Configuration Editor to move the CD-ROM to the secondary IDE controller (channel 1) at IDE 1:0. Then boot the virtual machine with Windows NT, run DMACHECK and enable DMA for channel 0 only.

   Note: DMA is always enabled on SCSI virtual disks.

VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operating system. For details, see the manual for your VMware product or follow the appropriate link in the knowledge base article at www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=340.

Setting up a Windows NT 4.0 Guest with Multiple Disks

To set up a virtual machine running Windows NT 4.0 and using multiple disks, you must first create a virtual machine with only one disk. Install Windows NT on that disk. Then use the configuration tools in your VMware product to add the additional disks.

In addition, note that if you have a Windows NT 4.0 guest with a SCSI virtual disk, you cannot add both an additional SCSI disk and an IDE disk to the configuration.

Enabling Networking After Installing Windows NT

If networking was disabled at the time you installed Windows NT, you can enable it after installing the operating system. Shut down Windows NT and power off the virtual machine. Add the network adapter to the virtual machine's configuration, then follow the instructions below to install the network driver in the Windows NT guest operating system.

1. Power on the virtual machine.
2. While Windows NT is booting, insert the Windows NT 4.0 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
3. Log on to Windows NT and install the AMD PCNET driver:
   1. Open the Network properties page by double-clicking the Network icon in Control Panel. Change to the Network Adapters screen by clicking the Adapters tab.
   2. Click the Add button and select the AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter from the list.
   3. A message pops up prompting you to enter a path for the Windows NT files. Specify the \i386 folder on the CD in the path you enter (for example, type D:\i386 if the CD is in drive D) and click Continue.
   4. Windows NT setup prompts you for the Windows NT files again. Click Continue.
   5. Use the default adapter settings; they do not need to be changed. Windows NT setup prompts you again for a path to the Windows NT files. Click Continue to finish installing the driver.

Enabling Sound in a Windows NT Guest

VMware GSX Server: The sound device is disabled by default and must be enabled with the virtual machine control panel (VM > Settings) after the operating system has been installed. To set up the virtual machine to play sound, see Configuring Sound in the product documentation.

Known Issues

Guest Screen Saver

VMware Workstation: On a Linux host with an XFree86 3.x X server, it is best not to run a screen saver in the guest operating system. Guest screen savers that demand a lot of processing power can cause the X server on the host to freeze.

Memory Limits if Installing with No Service Pack

If your Windows NT 4.0 installation disc does not include at least Service Pack 2, you cannot install the operating system in a virtual machine that has more than 3,444MB of memory. To work around the problem, temporarily reduce the memory size of the virtual machine to 3,444MB or less, install Windows NT, install Service Pack 6a, then set the memory size to the value you want.