PROPRIETARY ISSUE

[rooster]

PROPRIETARY ISSUE

A continuation of: “hal.dll missing or corrupt”, threads.

emachines T2893

Windows XP-Home (OEM emachines T2893)
Firefox (1.5.0.4)
Thunderbird (1.5.0.4)
*IE/OE SP2, *Netscape, *Opera
Ad-Aware SE Personal v 1.06
Spybot S&D 1.4
SpywareBlaster v3.4
WinPatrol
AVG Free Edition 7.1.394
Ewido 4.0
Kerio Personal 2.1.4


Summary:
When I try to boot into Windows XP-Home from the BIOS Splash Screen, or
boot into Safe Mode, I get a message saying:

“<windows root> system32\hal.dll is missing. Please re-install a copy of
the above file”

If I allow startup to proceed on it’s own, XP boots ‘normally’ and
everything seems to work as it is supposed to.

By clicking on “NORMAL” in the BIOS Splash screen, I can boot into Safe
Mode, BUT the GUI renders the applications Displays illegible; although
the texts come out OK. I’ve learned to make do by memorizing where on
the screen to click to make things happen, but this is a real PITA.

Adding to the nuisance, when I exit Safe Mode and restart, I lose my
Display Settings and I have to do a System Restore to retrieve them.

Although I don’t really understand the lingo, replies to previous
queries in this NG and other places, indicate that my version of the
“emachines” T2893 OEM installation does not have a “Recovery Console”,
nor will the “Recovery Disk” allow me to boot from it to access/repair
the “Windows Directory”, which I must do to re-install the missing
hal.dll file.

I did manage to d/l a compressed or zip version of the errant file from
MS and have it on Desktop.

MS does acknowledge this snag, and provides fixes for XP-Pro and for PCs
that have floppy drives. MS provides a d/l for 6 floppy disks from which
a body can “Startup” and proceed to wherever the heck it is you need to
go to fix the problem. My unit only has an Optical Disk Drive.

I’ve been advised that the optimum sol’n is to get a “Non-Branded”
Windows XP-Home CD-ROM. Needless to say, if I have to buy an XP CD to
fix a problem that is inherent in the installation that came with my PC,
I will feel a bit cheated. Had I been aware of this peculiarity and it’s
consequences up front, it would have been a ‘Deal Breaker”. If I can’t
discover a way to fix this, I plan on making a stink about it on
eMachines sites and anywhere else I can think of.

A friend and neighbour has a “Touch Systems” OEM with XP-Home on it.
Would their CD-ROM achieve what I need to do à propos compatibility, and
if so, is there a copywrite issue?

Normally, I wouldn’t think so, given my objective and since MS does
provide a fix for floppy drive units. But I ‘sus’ eMachines’ business
plan anticipated this novelty with the view of attracting $$$ for their
technical department. And this makes me paranoid about trying to find a
workaround, lest they’ve booby-trapped the thing somehow and I end up
randomizing all the electrons on my system.

This is the text on the CD my friend has:

“Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
for Distribution Only with A New PC

The software included on this CD-ROM has been pre-installed on your hard
drive. This CD may be used for backup and recovery of your computer
system. Unauthorized reproduction of this CD or its contents without
written consent is strictly prohibited. For product support, please
contact your Synergia reseller.”

Haggis replied earlier:

“I've used a standard OEM XP CD to do a "repair install" on an emachine
(not
the recovery disc's provided)

if you had [have?] SP2 on this machine ..take a standard OEM XP-Home and
slipstream
SP2 , then do a repair install (or get to the recovery console as needs be)

I’m sure that’s swell advice; I just don’t have the foggiest what it means.

rooster

boundary bay, bc

 

[S.Sengupta]

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000490.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314477

regards,
S.Sengupta[MS-MVP]

PROPRIETARY ISSUE

A continuation of: “hal.dll missing or corrupt”, threads.

emachines T2893

Windows XP-Home (OEM emachines T2893)
Firefox (1.5.0.4)
Thunderbird (1.5.0.4)
*IE/OE SP2, *Netscape, *Opera
Ad-Aware SE Personal v 1.06
Spybot S&D 1.4
SpywareBlaster v3.4
WinPatrol
AVG Free Edition 7.1.394
Ewido 4.0
Kerio Personal 2.1.4


Summary:
When I try to boot into Windows XP-Home from the BIOS Splash Screen, or
boot into Safe Mode, I get a message saying:

“<windows root> system32\hal.dll is missing. Please re-install a copy of
the above file”

If I allow startup to proceed on it’s own, XP boots ‘normally’ and
everything seems to work as it is supposed to.

By clicking on “NORMAL” in the BIOS Splash screen, I can boot into Safe
Mode, BUT the GUI renders the applications Displays illegible; although
the texts come out OK. I’ve learned to make do by memorizing where on
the screen to click to make things happen, but this is a real PITA.

Adding to the nuisance, when I exit Safe Mode and restart, I lose my
Display Settings and I have to do a System Restore to retrieve them.

Although I don’t really understand the lingo, replies to previous
queries in this NG and other places, indicate that my version of the
“emachines” T2893 OEM installation does not have a “Recovery Console”,
nor will the “Recovery Disk” allow me to boot from it to access/repair
the “Windows Directory”, which I must do to re-install the missing
hal.dll file.

I did manage to d/l a compressed or zip version of the errant file from
MS and have it on Desktop.

MS does acknowledge this snag, and provides fixes for XP-Pro and for PCs
that have floppy drives. MS provides a d/l for 6 floppy disks from which
a body can “Startup” and proceed to wherever the heck it is you need to
go to fix the problem. My unit only has an Optical Disk Drive.

I’ve been advised that the optimum sol’n is to get a “Non-Branded”
Windows XP-Home CD-ROM. Needless to say, if I have to buy an XP CD to
fix a problem that is inherent in the installation that came with my PC,
I will feel a bit cheated. Had I been aware of this peculiarity and it’s
consequences up front, it would have been a ‘Deal Breaker”. If I can’t
discover a way to fix this, I plan on making a stink about it on
eMachines sites and anywhere else I can think of.

A friend and neighbour has a “Touch Systems” OEM with XP-Home on it.
Would their CD-ROM achieve what I need to do à propos compatibility, and
if so, is there a copywrite issue?

Normally, I wouldn’t think so, given my objective and since MS does
provide a fix for floppy drive units. But I ‘sus’ eMachines’ business
plan anticipated this novelty with the view of attracting $$$ for their
technical department. And this makes me paranoid about trying to find a
workaround, lest they’ve booby-trapped the thing somehow and I end up
randomizing all the electrons on my system.

This is the text on the CD my friend has:

“Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
for Distribution Only with A New PC

The software included on this CD-ROM has been pre-installed on your hard
drive. This CD may be used for backup and recovery of your computer
system. Unauthorized reproduction of this CD or its contents without
written consent is strictly prohibited. For product support, please
contact your Synergia reseller.”

Haggis replied earlier:

“I've used a standard OEM XP CD to do a "repair install" on an emachine
(not
the recovery disc's provided)

if you had [have?] SP2 on this machine ..take a standard OEM XP-Home and
slipstream
SP2 , then do a repair install (or get to the recovery console as needs be)

I’m sure that’s swell advice; I just don’t have the foggiest what it means.

rooster

boundary bay, bc

 

[rooster]

Thank you Sengupta,

I appreciate the reply, and I also appreciate that this snag is tedious
to the point of maddening.

BUT: the Rx’s you have thoughtfully provided don’t obtain in this
instance. BTDT....

1. The OEM Recovery Disk that comes with my "emachines" T2893 PC does
not have a Recovery Console; neither can I boot from it. It’s only
function is to install the original XP-Home program; which, as I hope I
have made clear, does not have the hal.dll file.

2. The Rx provided by MS requires the d/l of Q310994 to 6 floppy disks,
from which a PC can be booted (outside of Windows XP). My PC only has an
Optical Disk Drive. FYI; there is another Rx that works for XP-Pro.

I’m not savvy enough to understand why Q310994 can’t be copied to a CD-R
instead of 6 floppies, but I gather it has something to do with Drive
Letters…. way over my head.

Quite possibly I shouldn't venture an opinion on something that is out
of my skill-set by a couple of SDs; but based on what I do know, this
issue goes beyond just my situation. The missing hal.dll file renders
running apps in Safe Mode nearly impossible due to the obscured Display
characteristics. Depending on how many other OEMs are out there that are
cobbled together the same way and installed on PCs without Floppy
Drives, this suggests a real vulnerability to the more ambitious viruses
that render PCs 'bots' at the beck and call of spammers, and anyone
wanting to set up Open Relay/Proxy nets. I assume it is understood here
that some AV apps (e.g. Ewido) are optimized to run in Safe Mode and are
successful in identifying some of the more aggressive trojans and worms
that are designed to evade 'first tier' free and/or popular AV programs
like AVG, eTrust, Zone Alarms etc. The burgeoning number of Open Proxies
and Relays that plague the internet is a pretty good indication that
many PCs are not being protected properly. If a lot of XP-Home users are
not going the extra mile because they are discouraged from using Safe
Mode, then it stands to reason they are more vulnerable to exploitation.

rooster