??? about hal.dll going AWOL.

A friend has brought his machine to me to attempt repairs.
Machine is an unknown Dell desktop.(front face is missing)
OS is XP Home with SP2 at a minimum.

Upon hitting the power button, goes to an error message.

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt.
<Windows root>\system32\hal.dll
Please install a new .....

My friend does not have the Dell disks.Lost several years ago.
Have attempted a Repair Install like I did on a different machine several weeks ago. Do not get the option to repair.
Requiring a non-destructive repair,if possible, so he can keep his business going.
Could plug his drive into my machine and transfer his files for safety, but like stated, he doesn't have the disks for a reinstall, if that is the only option.
Machine can boot from CD.I was able to enter Setup to put the CD first.
How can I get a compatable copy of hal.dll to install on his machine.
Will create a clone drive for him if I can get it operating again.
All assistance appreciated.

 

If you can get into setup, you should be able to get model number/name in there. If not, check the stickers on the back of the tower for a service tag.

 

Dimension 3000
Service Tag 3SQPJ71
BIOS Version A02

 

If I remember right, Ctrl + F11 on start-up activates the restore partition on Dell computers. Step 3 here seems to verify that, but the process on that page is data destructive. Potentially very bad if your friend runs a business on this computer! :eek

I did some searching and digging for restore discs for that model, but was unable to find anything that didn't look extremely phishy. If you can get your hands on an XP Home disc though you should be able to reinstall from that and then reinstall all drivers from another CD or USB drive, since Dell puts all of that online on their support page. A bit of a hassle and a pain (mildly put!), and also data destructive, but at least you'll get back to a working system that way.

If it boots from CD, can it access the hard drive to the point you can fish all important data out from it with the help of a Linux live CD?

 

I do have an XP Home SP3 disk (OEM version) but his key code sticker has long since become unreadable.
Have already tried to run the Repair, but Repair does not show as an option on any screen I come to.
Also, do not have Linux disk, but can install drive as slave and transfer.
Wouldn't I need his Key Code to work this? Did do a Repair on a Gateway several weeks ago, but I did have the key for it.

 

As long as you have some way to get to the data, you can avert complete disaster, and that's usually the most important thing. Anything else is replaceable, but the data tends to be priceless...

For a reinstall I honestly don't know if you need the license key from the machine or not, though I do know that Dell puts OEM versions of Windows on their computers. All the articles I can find online completely omits mention of using a license key, but they also all seem to be assuming that you would use the restore disk that came with the system.

Unfortunately, I have very little experience working on Dell computers, I've primarily dealt with HP and Compaq laptops, and they let you install any version of Windows and then you can manually load all drivers. I have co-workers who have worked on Dell systems in the past though, and they all say that it's a horrible pain without the Dell CDs.

I will see what else I can find out, but it's going to take me until some time tomorrow. Maybe if we're lucky someone else will join the thread before then and magically offer solutions. Either way, I'll check back in tomorrow night with whatever I was able to find.

 

You can burn one quite easily, if you wanted to that is, to a CD and boot from it. A popular one is Ubuntu and to burn the .ISO file, ImgBurn is the program I've used.

 

Well your first step should always be to back up data, even if you are nor considering data destructive routes. In this case it looks like you may have to, so the backup becomes even more necessary.

 

Will begin the process after work today.

 

You should find this video instructive. Might be a good idea too to remind your friend that running a business without data backups is asking for it.

this video

 

I wasn't able to find out as much as I hoped for, but I was able to verify that if you can get your hands on an official Dell XP installation disk, you won't need the key code that's missing from the case. The Dell disks come pre-activated, and will install without the key once they have verified that they're on a machine with a Dell BIOS. It will be plain "vanilla" XP though, so it still needs to have all its drivers reinstalled as well, and all partitions and data on the hard drive will of course be wiped and gone, but as a last resort, it might be worth a shot.

I also found a video very similar to what Earthling posted, so since he already did I'll just let his post do that part.

 

My friend found an old booklet among his records. Was the manual(?) for his Dell machine. He had written the key code onto the manual for insurance.
I had a spare 40GB drive laying around, so I formatted it, installed into his machine and, using my OEM disk and his key code, I got XP installed.
Fun part is that the Ethernet is not working. Have found drivers at the Dell support site, but doesn't want to download. 15 minutes and no activity shown by my firewall.
Went to his drive, now set as slave, and found the driver that had worked. Said it installed completely, but still no connection. Shows as limited or no connection.
Also problems with the graphics.
My disk works fine, so must be some of the infamous Dell proprietary items.
Getting to where I hate Dell.
Need to get it going so it can be activated.

 

Dell truly is evil in many ways.

The driver downloaded on my end, so I zipped it up for you. Does this one work?

 

Sorry,Mimsy. Did not work.
Must be a compatibility thing.
Even connected an F-Link card to no avail.

 

Did a complete and fresh install on a separate drive. The hal.dll is on that one, but cannot connect with internet. Ethernet card is not functioning.
Original drive that was missing or needed hal.dll is still without and is installed as slave drive.

 

Would it be the same? Original that is missing came from a Dell disk. The one I installed came from an OEM disk.

 

What is really sad, and worthy of roasting someone slowly over an open flame, is that might be your problem. Dell is infamously in love with proprietary drivers and files (which is why I try to avoid working on them), and you might need one from a Dell disk to make this work.

 

Tim, where is the hal.dll located?
Worth a try as an experiment, and who knows? It might work.

 

This is getting to be plain silly.
Replaced hal.dll from the new drive into the old drive.
Switched slave(old) drive back as master,leaving new drive disconnected.
Upon trying to boot, I get the same message, but now it's ntoskrnl.exe that is missing or corrupt.

 

Sounds like you need to reformat. Sorry.

Actually, have you tried a CHKDSK /r yet?

 

to Collins
Would if my friend had the Dell disks.
CHKDSK starts automatically on powerup.Has run for more than 6 hours and made no progress. Says that it needed to run because the drive was formatted as NTFS.

 

This can be marked as solved in a way.
Was not able to get the original drive working, but is doing fine as a slave.
Was able to get the new drive online.Simplest solution.rolleyes Often the most overlooked.:-o
Just did a hard reset of the cable modem. After a few minutes, had access to the Internet.
Have already activated Windows with no problems and have gotten all Windows Updates for it.
Just finished updating all AV and antispyware programs.
Dell is ready to go home.(Thank goodness).
Thanks to everybody for the input.