XP hal.dll missing

[Guest]

My pc cannot start and using the boot disk, says that system32\ha.dll is
missing or corrupt. How can I put this file into the system since I can't get
to c: drive. I can copy and paste this file from a working XP into the
floppy, what shall I do next? TIA

 

[Kelly]

HAL=Hardware Abstraction Layer

How to Move a Windows XP Installation to Different Hardware
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBJ/tip4800/rh4839.htm

Situations in Which Windows May Not Start in Safe Mode
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q199175

How to Troubleshoot Hardware Abstraction Layer Issues
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q237556

More information and a workaround here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_haldll_missing.htm
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_h.htm#xp_hall.dll
~~~
Boot from your CD and follow the directions below to start Recovery Console.

Insert the Setup compact disc (CD) and restart the computer. If prompted,
select any options required to boot from the CD.
When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; choose the
repair or recover option by pressing R.

If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation
that you need to access from the Recovery Console.
When prompted, type the Administrator password. (if you didn't create one
try pressing enter).

At the system prompt, type Recovery Console commands; type help for a list
of commands, or help commandname for help on a specific command.

Most likely you will need to expand the file from the CD. The command would
be expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll. Substitute d: for the
drive letter of your CD. Once you have expanded the file type "exit" to exit
the Recovery Console and restart the computer.


--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Alex Nichol]

My pc cannot start and using the boot disk, says that system32\ha.dll is
missing or corrupt. How can I put this file into the system since I can't get
to c: drive.

DO NOT try to paste it. There are more than one version and you might
foul things up badly

That message is rather misleading. It happens because the boot.ini file
that tells the boot where to look for 'Windows' is damaged, so it is
looking for files in the wrong place - hal.dll just happens to be the
first one it looks for.

Set the BIOS to boot CD before Hard Disk. Boot the XP CD and, instead
of Setup, take the immediate R for Repair. Assume any password
requested is blank, and TAB over.

Use
Attrib -H -R -S C:\boot,ini
DEL C:\boot.ini
to delete the bad one
BootCfg /Rebuild

to search for Windows installations and make a new one

 

[Guest]

I change the boot sequence to CD Rom drive and it will go to setup. I cannot
see where quote
"take the immediate R for Repair", can you please elaborate, TIA

 

[Kelly]

Insert your Windows XP compact disc (CD) into your CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM
drive, and then restart your computer.

(You can also boot with a Windows 98/Me Startup disk with CD support and run
WINNT.EXE in the I386 folder on the CD)

When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your
screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen,
press ENTER: To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is
displayed. Do not select this option.

On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the
license agreement. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is
selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair Windows XP. Follow
the instructions on the screen to complete Setup.

Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q315341


--
All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Alex Nichol]

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is
displayed. Do not select this option.

In THIS case the R for recovery console is what he wants How he misses
seeing it, given a 'proper' CD is another matter. But if it is there he
should use it

 

[vitaeterna]

hal.dll missing

As the answers seemed a bit confusing, I am re-installing Windows XP and using this video:

I didn't press "d" the first time to delete the partition.