I have recently built a new computer and installed XP Pro on it. Everything went well installed fine, the computer restarted multiple times and everything worked. Went to take the computer to our shop to have it there and when I plug it in and turn it on I get the error message <Windows root>\system32\hal.dll file is missing or corrupt.

Did not have the XP disc with me so I brought it back home plugged it in turned it on and it works fine at my house. Back to the shop and the same error message shows up.

Any idea on why it would work fine in one place but get that error message at a different location everytime??

Hi
What kind of peripheral devices are connected at home and at the shop? Can you try leaving only similar devices connected om both locations? (e.g. Monitor K/B. mouse and nothing else)

I had that happen once. Come to find out that when I put the XP cd in the drive and left it there on the boot it caused the issue. Something was a muck with the boot.ini

Just monitor mouse and keyboard are plugged in at both home and shop. Nothing else

This is one that is hard to explain without getting involved with the supernatural.

Is it possible that the power at a home can reflect itself into the way the operating system performs? Well, that one has been debated to death although I have physically watched it happen. Some power (electrical in the building) can be so spread out that it verges flipping a breaker. Many building owners will just upgrade the breaker from a 15amp to a 20amp to a 30amp and so on and so forth. What does that do to hardware that is very dependent to specific power requirements? (for example a hard drive must have a certain amperage as well as voltage and it could be either over shooting it or under shooting what is being delivered to the PSU) I can't really say, but I do know that if a building inspector came in and saw that, they would make them rewire the building to not exceed 15-20amps as per code. So it does do something. In physics we are taught that the distance a wire has in length has a direct proportional reflection on the Ohms of resistance delivered across the wire. This can indeed cause the wire to over heat and cause a fire.

I would say that in this case, it could be that the shop that you are taking your computer too just doesn't have good power. The only other explanation would require you bringing a Priest with you the next time you take it in for repair.