Parsing LMHOSTS with Invalid Entries Can Cause Stop 0x1E

A Windows NT computer that is configured to use an LMHOSTS file may get a blue screen error during the use of the NBTSTAT -R command, and the subsequent restart of the system. The blue screen error message for this condition is: NOTE: The first and fourth parameters will be identical on a single processor x86-based system.

-or- NOTE: The first parameter will be identical on a single processor x86- based system.

Improperly formatted syntax in the LMHOSTS file can produce this STOP error. Below is an example of the specific syntax error that causes the STOP error:

The problem with the above line is that the slash (/) is used instead of the backslash (\).

To work around this problem, correctly format the LMHOSTS file.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

The LMHOSTS file may be deleted by the system during the Stop error. If the file is not deleted, the system may become caught in a loop, producing the STOP error each time the file is read while the computer is starting. To correct this problem, the LMHOSTS will need to be deleted or have the incorrect entries edited out. The method used for this will depend on the file system being used on the computer running Windows NT.

Windows NT Installed on FAT Drive

If your computer running Windows NT is FAT-formatted, perform the following steps:

1. Start the computer to another operating system (such as MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows 95, or Microsoft Windows 3.x).
2. Delete or edit the incorrect entry from the LMHOSTS file in the Winnt\System32\Drivers\Etc folder.

If you do not have MS-DOS or Windows 95 installed on the Windows NT computer (there is no menu option for MS-DOS or Windows 95 on the Start menu), but Windows NT is installed on a FAT partition, you can boot from an MS-DOS floppy disk or Windows 95 Startup disk and edit or delete the LMHOSTS file on the FAT partition.

Windows NT Installed on NTFS Drive

If your computer running Windows NT is NTFS-formatted, perform the following steps:

1. Install a parallel copy of Windows NT into a new directory.
2. Delete or edit the incorrect entry from the LMHOSTS file.
3. Restart into the original Windows NT installation and delete the parallel installation of Windows NT.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51. A supported fix is now available, but has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.