system32\hal.dll - help 2

The Franchise · Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 477 Location: Arkansas

Hi,
Brother in law has pc with message when he tries to boot up windows xp.:
windows failed to start due to missing or corrupt file <windows root>\system32\hal.dll please reinstall .( Not exact words) Most online say to either use the recovery console from a reinstall cd or install a new copy of XP.He has no reinstall cd .He doesn't want to spend any money. My question is: Is it possible to use the recovery console on my reinstall cd ? His pc is an older E machine,Mine is an older Dell.
Jimmy Rolling Eyes

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2747

Quote:

Is it possible to use the recovery console on my reinstall cd ?

No. Your computer is a Dell which means that your CD works on a Dell, not on an emachine.

BudDurland · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 522

HAL = Hardware Abstraction Layer. As specific as that sounds, I think the dll file itself is pretty generic; it's the things it talks to that are machine specific. You might get away with copying hal.dll from another machine, if:

1) you use a "generic" Win/XP boot disk, or a boot CD that isn't tied to a specific brand of machine

2) the boot cd is using the the same SP level.

3) you sacrifice a virgin DAT tape to the backup gods as an apology

I might not be a bad idea to pull the drive and slave it in to another system, then check it for file system errors or bad disk sectors (or malware of some sort)

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Jimmy,
Why haven't you gotten him to do Ghost backups? (Yet)

Anyway, I'd take out that HD and slave it to my own computer where I could run Check Disk (chkdsk /f ) on it. That has solved many a problem with boot failures. You could also copy the hal.dll file from your own HD to his HD, under windows. You can't do it with a DOS boot disk on his computer because most likely his HD is in NTFS mode.

Good Luck,
The Doctor

The Franchise · Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 477 Location: Arkansas

Dr.,
I plan on trying to slave his drive to mine and see what can be done. I'd like to use fdisk to set up 2 partitions with the os on one and a ghost image on the other. That way I could restore it if needed. He doesn't know much about computers.

Jimmy Cool

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

Jimmy,
Using FDISK would wipe his HD clean. Then you'd have to reinstall windows and everything. Use Partition magic, to shrink the size of C: and then make a new partition in the free space. That won't effect what's already on the drive.

Get the drive working first though.

Doc

The Franchise · Joined: Oct 27, 2004 Posts: 477 Location: Arkansas

Dr,
Thank you .hadn't thought of that.Been having too many senior moments lately.
Jimmy

edit: still might have to install a fresh copy of Windows but PM8 would do the partitions.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 2240 Location: Central FL, USA

I think I'd try every trick in the book to avoid having to completely redo that HD, especially since he doesn't have the Restore disk. Eh?

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor