Hi. I have been working on a computer which is getting a <windows root>\system32\hal.dll error. It tells me to re-install the file. The computer is running an upgrade version of windows xp home edition. It was upgraded from WIN98. It has been working fine off the upgrade for over a year. The computer was working fine one day, turned off, and then was never able to boot again. I can not access safe mode, when I try I get the message above. I have a XP boot disk which results in the message above also. I have tried the recovery console and when I try to BOOTCFG /rebuild, I get thst I have a corrupt file system which prevents bootcfg from successfully scanning. I have run chkdsk /p /r which worked successfully, but then bootcfg /rebuild still doesn't work. The computer I am working on has not been backed up since last year so, of course, the person doesn't want to lose his newer information. Any more suggestions on how to fix this?

Insert the XP disc and choose the recover option from the menu. Hopefully you should have all the files and settings there. What the recover option does is it puts the missing or damaged files back in the right directory.

Check your spelling there please Madgamer - it's erm..difficult to understand.

Thanks.

I have run recovery on the XP cd....I get to, choose windows installation, which I choose #1 (only one there), then i put in password, then I get to C:\WINDOWS\ ........

I have tried to "expand D:\i386\hal.dl_C:\windows\system32\hal.dll", but there is an error with that. It lets me just "expand D:\i386\hal.dl_" successfully, but when I add the end part to tell it where to put it, it is unsuccessful.

I have also searched for the file usinf "dir hal.dll /s" and it does find the file. I just can't replace it with the one on the XP CD.

Hi and welcome sckalk.

Great resource here: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_haldll_missing.htm