emkaan

I have a Windows XP Home SP2 PC (Sony Vaio desktop). It has 1 disk with two partitions (C: for o/s & s/w installs and D: for the data). XP is the only o/s. It crashed (was NOT installing or upgrading other/new o/s) and now everytime I try to reboot, I keep getting the below:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt.
Windows root\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.

I've the Sony recovery disk but dont want to use it as it'll simply wipe out everything on the disk and re-image to factory settings.

Was able to borrow an XP disk and can get to the R=Recover but no luck from there on. I've looked thru the forum and other web pages but nothing has helped yet. Current ststus is...

1. boot.ini: Saw http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_haldll_missing.htm but my boot.ini looks good as it has the below (my o/s is installed on the C:\ drive)

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

2. chkdsk: Tried a chkdsk /p as well as a chkdsk /r but no error reported.

3. bootcfg: Tried bootcfg /list but got nothing (There are currently no boot entries avaliable to display). Also did bootcfg /rebuild but no go (possable corrupt file system and use chkdsk to resolve).

4. MSFT Articles: The MSFT articles @ http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;320252 and http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;330184 did not help either.

Can you please assist.

Thx

Khyshen

if you have a floppy drive, you could use norton ghost, and backup all the stuff you have on your hd and put it on another hd or whatever norton ghost you want it to do. and then do the sony recover disc. i can send you the hal.dll file over ftp or something if you would like.

MoralTerror

Use the recovery console and extract the file from the /i386 folder on xp cd. The destination is the windows\system32 directory.

e.g.
copy cdromDrive:\i386\hall.dll c:\windows\system32 /y

emkaan

Tried

copy f:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll

but get "Access Denied". dir does not even show the contents of the c:\windows\system32 folder. Even tried

attrib -R c:\windows\system32\hal.dll but get access denied.

MoralTerror

attrib c:\windows\system32 -s -h -r

remember to put the attributes back on afterwards

emkaan

Shoud'nt the file name come in the end?

Anyway, tried it but get "the parameter is not valid"

menriquez

...I am having the EXACT same problem here!! I've run into this before and did a total reinstall, but this time I don't want to. I cannot find any way to overwrite the existing hal.dll ...i've tried a couple of DOS boots, and a Linux, but I CANNOT replace the existing file.

Please, anyone, point me in the right directions...and, oh yeah, my client forgot his admin password so I can't run the recovery console...

ganesh9090

I MY LAPTOP WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL, ERROR IN WINDOWS <ROOT DIRECTORY> hal.dll file is missing or corrupt, please re-install

Go The Power

Hello and welcome to TSF

This is a old thread. Please start your own.
Thanks

Thread closed.