help! getting <windows root>\system32\hall.dll on startup

[Guest]

i have a brand new hard drive (its barely 3 weeks old) and yesterday night, i
was playing a game and my computer froze, got the blue screen with the
physical memory dump message, and then it shut down. i am used to getting
those screens so i started my pc up again, this time, it made a horrible
noise (which i believe to be the fan as my computer was extremely hot) and
wouldnt start up, it gave me the message: invalid system disk, replace then
press any key. so i loaded up my recovery disk and tried to reformat the
drive, it refused to do this, and now i have a message saying <windows
root>\system32\hal.dll. i have looked online for some info on what to do, but
i dont dare to anything, can anyone suggest what i can do? other than take it
in for repairs? i really need my pc for school work.

thanks,

 

[Guest]

Have you read this?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en;330184

 

[R. McCarty]

Getting used to BSODs (Blue Screen of Death) isn't something you should
get used to. They are indications of serious problems that need to be fixed.
The other telling aspect of your description is "Extremely Hot". You need
to do two things. First off open the case of the computer. Turn it on and
check that the CPU fan is turning. Also do a general cleanup to remove all
the collected dust. Enter your BIOS setup and check the internal monitors
to see how hot your system is. Game playing is CPU intensive and it sounds
like your system halted perhaps from over heating.
Just because a drive is only 3-Weeks old has nothing to do with the chance
it is defective. Instead of Recovery, you should have done a Chkdsk C: with
one of the qualifiers to fix inconsistencies ( /R or /F). When an XP system
Halts (BSOD), there is a good chance that data isn't properly flushed or
written to the drive. The Hal.dll message relates to the core or kernel part
of the operating system. To run a comprehensive Chkdsk, you boot to the
XP CD-ROM, take Recovery Console and enter Chkdsk C: /R

 

[Guest]

thanks guys, that was really helpful, and as soon as i get home for spring
break, ill take it to be cleaned, i dont really trust myself with opening the
case of my laptop, not very good with fixing internal problems. i will get a
cooling system however, that should also help to keep my pc cool. thank you
ever so much

 

[R. McCarty]

Notebook ?, I assumed (incorrectly) that you were referring to a
desktop PC. Anyway, a notebook has only one tiny fan for getting
heat exhausted out of it.

It still needs to be looked at. So, a trip to a local, independent PC
shop is in order if nothing else to resolve your BSOD issue(s).

Pardon my assumption that your problems were Desktop related.

 

[Guest]

dont worry about it. all the help you guys gave made it possible for me to
get my pc back well, as well as it can be. i should have said that it was
for a notebook! ill take it to my dads work (HP) when i get home and have the
guys clean it out for me. and show me how to open it up without busting the
entire computer! thanks again!