Boot.ini problem

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Guest

Just recently Windows XP did an automatic update download and install. It
instructed me to restart the computer. When I did the restart I got the
error message that Windows could not start because the
Windows\System32\Hal.dll file was missing or corrupt. I tried booting in
safe mode, safe mode for networking and from my Windows XP CD. Nothing is
working. I cannot get to the Recovery Console and can't run any diagnostics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Vickie said:
Just recently Windows XP did an automatic update download and install. It
instructed me to restart the computer. When I did the restart I got the
error message that Windows could not start because the
Windows\System32\Hal.dll file was missing or corrupt. I tried booting in
safe mode, safe mode for networking and from my Windows XP CD. Nothing is
working. I cannot get to the Recovery Console and can't run any diagnostics.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

what happens when you try to get to the recovery console from booting
off the win xp cd?
you can fix boot.ini from there.
i'd be amazed if you got that message tryin to get to the recovery
console. i've had that message before when loading windows. i'm sure i
could get to the recovery cnosole. others have had it and did so
without an error message.

others fixed it via the recovery console. but i fixed it with a win xp
3 file boot disk.
 
(e-mail address removed) wrote:
<snip>

to make win xp 3 file boot disk see relevant thread

http://groups.google.com/group/alt....+file+boot+disk&rnum=1&hl=en#d2962490ad8b536d


and as that thread mentions
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=305595

That is. You go to a working win xp cmoputer.
you format a disk within windows xp
right click floppy, deselect "msdos disk"
or from win xp cmd prompt, format a: <ENTER> should do it

then you copy boot.ini ntldr and ntdetect.com from c:\, onto the disk.
They are also prob on the win xp cd in the i386 directory.

if your boot disk botos up. you get into win xp on the working comp and
just copy boot.ini onto c:\.. Mine have attributes
ntdetect.com and NTLDR <-- ASHR
boot.ini <-- ASH

incase you're unfamiliar with attrib's abbreviations.
A=archive, S=system H=hidden R=read only
 
Thank you for responding. No matter what I do, use the XP CD, safe mode,
anything I just keep getting the error message. I cannot get to any menus or
even a command prompt. All of the solutions I have read about indicate that
I at least need to get to a command prompt but if I hit enter after the error
message or do a restart, I still get the message and that's all. Any other
suggestions? Thanks.
 
Vickie said:
Thank you for responding. No matter what I do, use the XP CD, safe mode,
anything I just keep getting the error message. I cannot get to any menus or
even a command prompt. All of the solutions I have read about indicate that
I at least need to get to a command prompt but if I hit enter after the error
message or do a restart, I still get the message and that's all. Any other
suggestions? Thanks.


perhaps you're not booting off the cd correctly. i'm sure if you booted
off the cd, you wouldn't get that error.
try booting off a win98 cd. (or any bootable cd). If you still get that
hal.dll error, you know you're not booting off CDs correctly.
so check that.
(to boot off the CDROM, go to the BIOS and set the boot sequence to
check CD before HDD).

and that win xp 3 file boot disk solution does not require going to a
command prompt on your broken computer. You make the win xp 3 file
boot disk on a working win xp computer.

I can't remember what error you'll get if a partition is not active, or
what you'll get if a partition is hidden , but it might be that or
similar. so we may consider that later. After the more obvioús ones
mentioned that certainly cause a hal.dll error.
 
Hi
I have had the same experience, error on system32\hal.dll
I do not have a floppy drive and have tried booting up from the disc.When I
get to the C:\WINDOWS> I do not know what do do next, if someone could
explain what to do next, I would be very gratefull ( in siple terms please)
Thanks to you
 
david said:
Hi
I have had the same experience, error on system32\hal.dll
I do not have a floppy drive and have tried booting up from the disc.When I
get to the C:\WINDOWS> I do not know what do do next, if someone could
explain what to do next, I would be very gratefull ( in siple terms please)
Thanks to you

if you got to C:\WINDOWS> from a win98 boot disk or disc or win98
setup disc, then you got it wrong.
if you are at the recovery console, (e.g. from a win xp cd) then good.
if not then do that.

done? In which case your "experience" is SLIGHTLY BETTER than the OP,
since the OP is having trouble getting to that.


There is a solution from the recovery console.
see those 3 useful commands "fixboot, fixmbr, bootcfg"
particularly bootcfg /rebuild

do bootcfg /rebuild

that's

C:\WINDOWS>bootcfg /rebuild <ENTER>

and say yes if it prompts you with any questions. (It might. I can't
and needn't remember if it does)
 

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