DOCUMENT:Q103933  10-SEP-1993  [W_NT]
TITLE   :Windows NT May Use a Different HAL Version for Some 486 CPUs
PRODUCT :Windows NT
PROD/VER:3.10
OPER/SYS:WINDOWS
KEYWORDS:

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
 - Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
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On some computers with older versions of the Intel 486 processor,
Windows NT may use a different version of the Hardware Abstraction
Layer (HAL); it may use HAL486C.DLL instead of HAL.DLL.
 
Intel identifies different versions of their processors with a letter
designating the Stepping. The latest Stepping version of the 486 is D.
If the Intel 486 processor with the C Stepping uses the standard
HAL.DLL, there may be periodic system failures.
 
The correct HAL should be used based on the type of 486 processor
installed in a computer. Setup installs HAL486C.DLL by default if it
cannot confirm that the processor is a 486 with D or later Stepping.
 
In Windows NT, it is possible to determine the Steppings of a
processor by doing the following:
 
1. From the File menu in Program Manager, choose Run, and then select
   WINMSD.EXE.

2. In Windows NT Diagnostics, choose Hardware, and then choose CPU
   Steppings.
 
The next dialog box identifies the Stepping version of CPU 0, which is
the main processor.
 
Additional reference words: 3.10 W_NTAS crash
KBCategory:
KBSubcategory: hrdwr

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