For the information of HP3000 admins who have a casual exposure to
WinNT inside their organization.


Warning! NT 4.0 utility wipes system configuration

Graystreak <[log in to unmask]>
Mon, 23 Sep 1996 18:54:51 -0400


Forwarded-by: Logan Sanders <[log in to unmask]>

NT users beware! Retail copies of both the Workstation and Server
versions of Windows NT 4.0 shipped with an undocumented system-wiping
utility. The file Rollback.exe erases key components of the system
registry, disabling the operating system.

Microsoft Corp. officials say that once the file has been executed,
the changes cannot be undone and require a complete reinstallation of
the operating system. At least one incident of accidental erasure has
occurred and Microsoft is mulling over how to inform customers of the
problem.

This undocumented feature could do the most damage to NT4.0 Server
users because it erases critical-security and user-account
information. Without an up-to-date backup, network administrators will
have to recreate all of the users' account and password profiles.
Microsoft this week sent out an E-mail warning to its channel
partners.  It stated that after running the utility "the next thing
the customer knows, they are staring at the set-up screen and are
completely down."

Rollback.exe was designed to allow OEMs to test NT with their hardware
and software configurations, and then return systems to their
pre-installation state. The file is located in the
support\deptools\I386\ directory of the NT CD-ROM and is not installed
on the system by default. But the lack of any online documentation or
escape route once the program has begun has put curious users at risk.

Microsoft officials say that more than 150,000 copies of NT Server 4.0
have been sold since its release in late July.  Microsoft has posted
an entry in its online Knowledgebase, but has not determined how it
will notify customers and OEMs.

Regards,
Jim


---
James B. Byrne                 mailto:[log in to unmask]
Harte & Lyne Limited           http://www.harte-lyne.ca
Hamilton, Ontario              905-561-1241