About winnt.sif file

[Mhonty]

Windows XP repeatedly asking me to Activate my Windows files, I have no further access to any MS products on my computer. I tried to reinstall XP and I'm getting this error message, "missing Winnt.sif file". What is Winnt.sif file ? Where can I download this file? Please give me some advice.

[Chatwin]

If you install SBS on a computer without using the Winnt.sif file, Microsoft will use commercially reasonable efforts in addressing support problems.

To solve some problems, it may be necessary to use the original Winnt.sif file to perform a reinstallation of all the components of SBS on the computer. Microsoft does not provide support for modifications made to the Winnt.sif file or for installations performed with a modified Winnt.sif file.

INFO: What Does the Winnt.sif File Do?

[Neel23]

I have faced this winnt.sif problem, the reasons for this is currupt installation cd or the cd drive faulty. And one more thing that can cause this issue is existing XP OS on the partition. Try formatting the hole partiton first and then install XP again. Also, make sure that you use setupmgr to create an RIS answer file (RimBoot.sif), not an unattended distribution share setup file (unattend.txt) or an answer file for unattended cd install (winnt.sif).

[Sonya.T]

Try the nlite , it is the solution for you, it is a free tool. Winnt.sif is used when booting from CD, all other "answer files" are ignored. Unattended.txt or any other file name *. txt is used when installing over a network and other media. The reason behind this is Winnt.sif is hard coded in the installation process, and therefore not boot from CD to launch a reference to the custom winnt.exe / winnt32.exe . When using an answer file from other media, the following command can be used to specify the answer file. Winnt.exe /u:[Answer_File_Name.txt] (and thus wnnt.sif is ignored).