error: \system32\hal.dll missing

Hello,
Upon boot I get this windows error message: missing or corrupt file. reinstall \system32\hal.dll
How do I reinstall??
K

 

System File Checker (sfc.exe) Start, Run, type in sfc /scannow
there is a space between the c and /. You may need your xp disk. I prefer going to the start menu, click on My Computer, right click on Local Disk C: (the disk Windows is installed on), choose Properties, under the tools tab there is a box called error checking, choose to check now and check the two boxes there. (Automatically fix file system errors, and Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors) When you reboot it will run, used it on this machine yesterday. I have been told you should run this before a defrag. Safe Mode may also be a better way of doing it.
rolleyes
Bug

 

I cannot get windows to load at all. I am using the cd to boot from there. I ran recovery console chkdsk /p /r it found some errors but did not solve the problem. I looked at dir hal.dll /s and the file is not there...
what to do?

 

You will probably have to do a safe re-install of Windows from the CD. Generally speaking, when the hal.dll file gets corrupted or deleted, there's no way to fix it (at least in my experience) other than reloading Windows. Here's a link that may help: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330184/en-us
Good luck!!

hd2k

 

Does reloading windows necessareily mean that all documents on the drive will be lost? What is a safe reinstall?

 

I followed those instructions to the letter and ended up with a very promissing start screen(?) for XP (the one with the blue flashing lights..) only this time instead of starting it froze. If I try to re-boot from the install CD - it gives only the options of restarting in the same way or to go to f8 to start in a few other ways ...that don't work either...
OPtions?

 

Unfortunately the repair install does not always work, particularly on a dodgy or over-full disk. I note that Check Disk found errors.
You haven't said, or been asked, about the state of your hard drive and how your HAL came to be missing in the first place? How big and how full was your hard drive?

Do you have any data you don't want to loose on it?
Do you have the resources to slave the drive to another pc to copy the data off?

Alternatively you could download some partition resizing software from MG and make some space for a second partiton. You can do a clean install of Windows to that partition and repair the first one or copy the data off.

The repair install is the ultimate repair. Try it three times. If it doesn't work then the only thing left is to delete current partitions and reformat, performing a clean install of Windows. But even this will not work on a dying disk.

Studio T

 

The hard drive is in good repair and not short of space. A cleaner wacked the PC with a mop and apparently dragged a front USB connector causing a short. They dearly needed the drive up and running so (thinking I was smart...) transferred it to another PC and set this drive as master. This worked for them for the day but when they repowered in the a.m. it rebooted with this problem. I've since returned the drive to its original PC after fixing the USB short.

the data is important and we will attempt anything you suggest to save it.

i have a removable drive on this machine that I'm writing you from. For some reason it was not visible in My computer....I think I am becoming frazzled and didn't do it right....though - shud I have set jumpers somehow.?

 

Do you work for the CIA?
USB drive abuse followed by hard drive rendition, without a passport, to another pc. :major :major :major

Seriously though, you obviously felt pressured when the original incidnet happened. Now is the time to slow down and take measured action.

Firstly I'm not sure which problem, apart from the usb short, happens in which pc. And which pc you tried the repair installation in.

If only you had told us all this in the first place, as any sort of reinstall is not the right approach. HAL stands for hardware abstraction layer and is (simply) the place where Windows lists the hardware around it. Clearly the stored HAL would be wrong in a different pc.

Anyway you have other pcs available so look at the hard drive. Assuming it is IDE, with a large rectangular connector, you will find jumper settings for master and slave printed on the label. Many modern drives say remove the jumper for slave, don't loose it.

Then connect the drive to the centre connector of an ide cable in another pc.You don't have to fit the drive in a bay or anything, I usually leave them propped up with a piece of paper as insulation.
Boot that pc to the setup or BIOS and let the bios detect the new drive. Accept the changes and exit bios. If there is enough left of you repair install partition to see it will appear in Windows and you can copy the data off.

When you have done this, delete the partition.

start>run>typein
diskmgmt.msc
select the drive
right click the blue box representing the partition select delete partition or logical drive.
Do this until the drive only has green space representing free space.
Right click the free space and select new partition. Choose extended if you want to create a separate data partition for better future security, otherwise primary.
Type in the size(s) required. You don't need to format.

Shutdown, remove the drive, reset to MASTER, and reinsert into the original pc.
Reinstall Windows, including format.

You are very lucky as a short in the usb can damage the motherboard, or prevent it starting.


Studio T

 

Thank you for your reply...I've followed your instuctions and got the data off ok. I reinstalled the drive in the original pc and started reinstall windows including format. It got most of the was thru the setup and then came a "fatal error" win32Lasterror is 14001. It asks for the XP cd with SP2 to be placed in the drive -- but it's already in there!
?????

 

Glad you were able to save the data Ok.

Firstly is your install CD a Microsoft original or an IT dept copy? I take it as this is a company job you have the multiple licence no activation version?
Many It depts sensibly store their original and work of copy CDs. These can become worn and corrupt. Try cleaning the CD and having another go.

Secondly this error has been reported with SP2 versions of the CD, and some hardware, particularly ASUS, whilst older versions seem immune.

Studio T

 

The CD I"m using is the original with hologram. It's very clean. First it asked for missing ASM's, then missing NT5INF.cat then it quits ...indicating that setup failed becuase it failed to install catalogs.
I have another Cd that is a copy and I get the same result.

 

I'm confused...am I not past the hal.dll problem with reformating?

 

* * * SUCCESS STORY with Missing or Corrupt System32\hal.dll * * * as of May 30tnh 2009 * * *

To the poor souls who have crossed paths with this error message - let me first say - "I FEEL YOUR PAIN!" - Now let me help you to fight this misery. I have a Gateway Laptop that was 3 years old (born 1996). My PC was acting funny and just before it crashed something came up that stated "drwtsn32.exe.mdmp" something or other is doing something or other and is located in my Temp Files. With that - I simply rebooted - HUGE MISTAKE - because then the next thing I know I saw the soul of my 3 year old PC flying away and the GRIM REAPER of P.C.'s followed.

I did everything YOU are probably doing now - read over tons of material that really didn't do too much good - but then again .... it did.

Let me first tell you that I am very good with computers. I used to be an amature PC Doctor - so the first thing I did was to simply take out the hard drive and "SLAVE" it to another computer - to do this you will need to have an external usb device that can hook up to the pins of the hard drive. I had this so I just hooked it up as as a slave - this will allow you to see the DATA of the hard drive and back it up. If you can get to this point - DO IT. Because I think I was just lucky - I was about to give up and after the 4th day of working on reviving my p.c. nearly on the brink of giving up - - she came back to me!

However, my story is that I COULD NOT see any data with the hard drive. In fact, when I slaved the drive to any other P.C. it would freeze windows XP - this was the first time I had ever seen anything like this - - so let me now cut to the chase - first thing you should do if you CAN'T see the drive when you slave it - - is realize that the data is probably still there. In my case, I was most scared when I was going to put XP onto the hard drive and it told me that I had 60 gigs of FREE SPACE - when in fact I should not have....so you should try to run windows in Safe Mode (i did not have that luxury) - if you can't do that slave the drive - and if nothing reads then come back to your XP Disc - and do what you have to do to get to REPAIR mode.

Once you are in repair get to a c prompt: should look like this - -> c:

Type this in: chkdsk /r - and leave your P.C. alone for about 3 to 4 hours - - come back. If it gets stuck at 50% or beyond but does NOT give you any message saying that there are 1 or more volume errors - - that is actually good - shut down your p.c. after you feel that it is stuck.

Turn on your P.C. and then get to our BIOS - make sure your BIOS boots anything that says HDD - you might have a few choices. For me - I switched the BIOS from the one it was set on to the other....and guess what - Windows started and it came back to life.

My thoughts are that the chkdsk /r - repaired the missing or corrupt hal.dll file - - but since it never got past 52% it still had problems - BUT - the objective was to get into windows long enough to get my data - the new error message I had was "missing Tapi32.dll". SUCCESS STORY is that I am copying files as I am writing this commentary and once I get all the data to a nice external hard drive - - I'll rebuild my 3 year old again - - finally - if you can't get anywhere from my input or others - contact ASC Data in Texas - I called tons of Data Recovery places - they have a fixed fee of $500 bucks - and you only pay them if they can extract the data - all you other data recovery companies - - should follow the $500 fixed fee - I am more comfortable with that the with an 'estimate'. - To all - a good night and good luck... Mr. Mojorising out -