[B]NT experts, HELP: system restore from DAT[/B]

I posted this about a week ago but received no useful workaround, so here's a second try:

I used to have NT4.0 running on a Digital Workstation (233 MHz DEC Alpha processor, 128 MB RAM, FX!32 converter for Intel apps) with SP3 and a bunch of software for which I’ve since lost the original media but still would like to use, in particular a CAD package worth several thousand dollars. Yes, that’s why I still care about this old crate.

Then came the half-educated-user wants to improve the system “event”, and I could no longer boot the system up. Thank God I had a back up of the entire original hard drive on a DAT tape, but before I could do anything I needed a working NT system.

So I got an unregistered NT4.0 SP5 CD for Alpha processors over Ebay and installed that successfully. As I have 2 hard drives in the computer, I used to c-drive to run the more recent NT version. Then I restored all the files I had from the original configuration from the DAT to the d-drive, re-configured BIOS to allow me the option of booting from either c or d at start up and hoped for the best. For whatever reason I get an error message when trying to run NT from the d-drive, i.e. the older NT version with SP3 and registry information from several years ago. I suspect that it ignores system or .ini files that are older than its own boot sector information.

My question to the NT gurus: Can I systematically replace the newer system and register files with the old ones to trick the system into thinking its configured the way it used to be, i.e. with the old software? Or is NT too smart for that?

There just has to be a way to recreate the system from the DAT tape even if boot sector information isn’t stored on it. This is not an Intel i386 vs Alpha processor compatibility problem, all software and OS are for Alpha chips. Any suggestions for a workaround would be greatly appreciated, condolences are accepted as well but less effective.

 

Believe that when doing a total restore then one usually install a temporary copy of Windows (In your case NT4 SP5) at an alternative location/directory, and then use this install to restore the backup to its original location.

Maybe if you correct the BOOT.INI on the D-drive then you might be able to get it to recognize the install properly. As long the BIOS makes the D-drive into a C-Drive so all paths in the original install is still correct.