CAUSE
When you install Windows NT for the first time on a given computer, NT
always installs to a FAT partition whose time stamps are local time, then
converts the partition to NTFS on the final reboot. During the GUI portion
of setup, you are prompted to indicate your time zone, but when NT converts
the partition to NTFS, it changes the time stamps to Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT). However, after NT is installed, File Manager adds or subtracts the
number of hours separating your time zone from GMT to arrive at your
correct local time.
For example, if you were operating in U.S. eastern standard time (EST),
which is five hours behind GMT time, File Manager would subtract five hours
from the stored GMT time to equal your local time. If EST was 10:57 a.m.,
the following settings would be registered:
CD-ROM time: 10:57 a.m.
NTFS GMT time: 3:57 p.m.
File Manager displays: 10:57 p.m. (3:57 p.m. - 5 hours)
This process does not work correctly when you install or upgrade Windows NT
onto an existing NTFS partition. When you do this, the setup program copies
all the files to the NTFS partition using only local time. As a result, it
does not know what time zone you are in, and hence cannot add or subtract
time to the files to be stored in GMT time. After NT is finished
installing, the time stamps displayed by File Manager will be different
from those shown by the CD-ROM. This is because the setup program is now
adding or subtracting the time-zone offset to or from your local time
rather than GMT time.
For the scenario described above, if the person had reinstalled or upgraded
Windows NT onto an existing NTFS partition, the following settings would be
registered:
CD-ROM time: 10:57 a.m.
NTFS EST (local) time: 10:57 a.m.
File Manager displays: 5:57 a.m. (10:57 a.m. - 5 hours)
RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, perform an upgrade using the Winnt32.exe program
while under Windows NT.
In this case the files will be copied from the CD-ROM to the local NTFS
partition, and Windows NT will know to store the files in GMT on the NTFS
partition. After NT is installed or upgraded, all the time stamps will
match those on the CD-ROM. For example:
CD-ROM time: 10:57 a.m.
NTFS GMT time: 3:57 p.m.
File Manager displays: 10:57 a.m. (3:57 p.m. - 5 hours)