Problems After Using Rdisk on a Computer Cloned with System Preparation Tool for Windows NT 4.0 (183253)

SYMPTOMS

If you use the System Preparation Tool for Windows NT 4.0 to duplicate a Windows NT installation from one computer to another and you then use the Rdisk.exe tool to repair the registry of the computer that contains the duplicated installation, you may experience various security, permissions, and access problems.

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the Repair folder on the computer on which Windows NT is duplicated contains the security identifiers (SIDs) of the computer from which you obtained the duplicate installation.

RESOLUTION

To prevent this issue from occurring, update the SIDs in the Repair folder on the computer on which Windows NT is duplicated immediately after you use the System Preparation Tool for Windows NT 4.0. To do so, click Start, click Run, type "rdisk /s" (without quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK.

For additional information about the Rdisk.exe tool, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: 122857
TITLE : RDISK /S and RDISK /S- Options in Windows NT

MORE INFORMATION

When you use the System Preparation Tool for Windows NT 4.0 to duplicate a Windows NT installation from one computer to another, the Repair folder on the computer on which Windows NT is duplicated contains the SIDs of the computer from which you obtained the duplicate installation. If you attempt to use the Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) process to repair the registry of the computer on which Windows NT is duplicated, the SIDs of the computer from which you obtained the duplicate installation could overwrite the new, unique SIDs in the registry. This results in duplicate SIDs in the registry, and can lead to various security, permissions, and access problems.