XP Boot Error

Ok. I'm thinking that that may be a better hal.dll than the one we extracted from the CD because it is a different size and may contain information about your Hardware. So let's go ahead and use that one.

What is your current prompt on that PC?

If it is C:\Windows\system32 then just try:

rename hal.dll halold.dll
Which is rename (space) hal.dll (space) halold.dll

****
I have to run a quick errand back in a bit.

 

Very well...will be here with info when you return, thanks...

 

Performance of that command seems to simply reset the prompt...I'm guessing that-that is what we were looking for...?

 

I'm actually going to go-ahead and take advantage of the break, and eat...will be back very soon............

 

I think it went through. Enjoy your dinner. I'm going to start fixing our dinner.

You can double check that the command worked with dir hal.dll should return 0 files found.

Next step is to copy the other one over:

copy (space) C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386\hal.dll (space) hal.dll

If that goes through then another dir hal.dll should now return 1 file found.

 

Wow, I am so not confident with this stuff...you said "double check", but I am not sure if that means simply typing "dir hal.dll" or the whole thing or what exactly...(?), and then, whether to do the copy or not before double-checking, well, I am just not sure...so I will have to wait. We've just come much, much too far to have me screw something up now, at this point...

I will look things over in the meantime...try to become more familiar with all that it is, exactly, that we're doing. I get so uptight and deeply (overly) focused with this stuff that I often don't learn much, other than to try to be confident while I'm doing it - but then that can get me into trouble down the road - as it did here in the first place......

 

Hi,

You just want to type the bolded parts. One at a time. If the first dir hal.dll returns 0 files then do the copy command. Then do another dir hal.dll to verify the file has been copied.

 

Ok, first time through (dir hal.dll) returns "No matching files were found".

Going-on to the copy command, then another dir hal.dll to verify the file has been copied......

 

Done. All parts - all well.

 

I think it is time to restart without the CD and see how it goes. If it doesn't load Xp note any error you see. If it does load XP there is a possibility that it will take a few minutes to discover new hardware. (Once I was testing using a generic hal.dll and upon restart XP had to rediscover my graphics, LAN connections, monitor etc. etc.--so don't be alarmed)

 

The CD will not eject. How should I handle that? I can restart, and then take it out, as the restart is occurring (which is the only thing I know to do)?

 

That is fine to do it that way. You could try typing EXIT and see if it restarts by itself.

 

Will try that now...

 

It restarted from exit, but started in Safe Mode ......?

PS - I took the CD out in the process of the restart.

 

It may be because the hal.dll is generic. Does it have the safe mode written in the four corners? Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then restart. On restart see if you get an option to restart normally.

 

Does not have Safe Mode in the four corners...it appears to me, to be in a VGA type of display (??)

 

Ok. That is what happened to me when I was testing this a year or so back. It wasn't safe mode but it had to redetect all my hardware. In my case I had all types of pop ups saying "found new hardware" for about 5 minutes and then everything was fine.

I would go ahead and restart and see if any change. Then if no change I guess we will have to find some drivers.

 

Restarted again with same result/screen...

 

I'll look around to see if there might be an easy way to fix this.

I'm thinking System Restore could be a possibility, F8 at start up for last known good configuration, Windows update, or Hardware Wizard in Control Panel are options.

Is it a name brand computer with a model number? Is it connected to the internet now?

 

Yes Dell 4500S (S=Slim) connected to the net...

 

It is probably easiest to just get the drivers from the net. Have you tested to see if you are actually able to connect on that PC tonight? If it doesn't have the LAN driver it won't be able to connect.

Oh you know what, do you have a Dell folder on C:? How many R##### folders are there in the drivers folder?

 

Sorry, should I be performing the System Restore or F8>Last Known Good Configuration, etc., etc. ......

*EDIT I stepped on your last post - sorry...

 

Sorry, not sure what "R##### folders" means?

Will have to check for the Dell folder on C:

 

I'd stay away from system restore. Once you get video up it will be a lot easier to navigate around and see what things look like. You are probably only missing a few drivers.

I'm assuming that PC is online and can navigate to the Dell site. Go here and under chipset download the Intel Chipset Installation Utility. Run the R41334.exe. It should open up the Intel application and download your chipset drivers and maybe your video as well. Let me know how it goes.

***If you have a folder named R41334 in C:\Dell\Drivers you might find a setup program in there that will do the same thing. If you don't have that folder just download the exe from the net.

 

So I'm going to try to reach the Dell link from the machine that we've been working-on all this time, correct? Or might I be able to load something onto my little external hard drive or a flash on this machine from which I have been typing all this time and take it to the XP machine to load?

 

You might as well see if that machine will connect to the internet. The intel installation will need web access to download the correct driver.

If you don't have access then we can get your network driver first and install that so you have net access. (While your over at the other computer look for a DELL tag on the case with your your Service Tag number--that will make it easier to find your network card drivers.)

 

Will do.....

 

We probably better call it a night...I'm getting lost now. I'm getting the Found New Hardware Wizard prompt, complaints from Comodo (free) Firewall needing to shutdown...not sure at the moment if I'm supposed to be trying to access the net from safe mode (or whatever mode the machine is in)...

I don't even know what question to ask next, at this moment......

 

Sure, take a break and call it a night.

Basically, because hal.dll was changed your PC has lost information on what hardware it has. It needs drivers installed again. It is unfortunate. I was hoping using that second hal.dll might have eliminated this problem but it didn't.

Ignore Comodo. I'd click on the new hardware wizard and let it do it's thing.

Tomorrow, of course, is a busy day. But do check if you have net access on that computer by opening a web browser and seeing if it can get to google or other website. That way we will know where to begin when you are ready.

 

Ok, thank you very much...I actually 'took a break' - and fell asleep! Busy time of year.

I'll attempt again tomorrow, to see where we can get - thanks again......

 

Don't forget to take a few hour break to enjoy Christmas!

 

Well, this is the crud/crap sort of luck that I have with the technology.

Clicking on Hardware Wizard and letting it do it's thing is almost never going to happen for me.

I'm getting error after error after error for hardware, I will type the first one here just to give you an idea of how it almost always works-out (after all the work we've done here......).

Files needed

The file 'mouclass.sys' on Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3 is needed.

Type the path where the files are located (YEAH - RIGHT?!?!?) and then click OK.

Copy files from
(default) C:\windows\service packfiles\i386 (<--does not work - and something [previous experience] tells me none of the other 7 options is going to work either).

Was the same (similar) sort of thing for "PCI Simple Controller", and "Realtek RTL8139/810 Family Fast Ethernet NIC".

I'm thinking now we probably should have just done a complete wipe and reinstall OS from the beginning...?

 

At first I thought maybe it was because I wasn't trying to get things to happen through the admin account, so i went in through the admin with the correct password - which by the way is a different password from which we were being asked for earlier in this whole process!?!).

I seem to be getting Hardware (drivers??) errors throughout - for everything now...

The technology is SUCH a nightmare, when, it occurs to me, it is so uunecessary......

Many, many warm thanks to Bill Gates, MS, Windows XP, whomever.....?

Goodbye (for tonight at least) cruel, cruel Windows world. What a cruel, cruel evil joke this all seems.

I'm sure ol' Bill wants me to simply go into debt buying another one of his contraptions...Merry Christmas.

 

We can get it sorted tomorrow or the next day.

I know the hal.dll problem is OK if it is not really the hal.dll missing. Then it is just a matter of fixing the boot files. In your case it actually was missing which is bad. I've never actually had to go through the whole process but from what I saw in testing it is not pretty.

A clean install would be easier but if you have something to save it should still be there.

We will try to get you internet which will make it easier to get the rest of the drivers. Once you have normal video you can figure out if your personal files are OK.

Get your service tag number off a sticker somewhere on the box. It should be about 6-8 digits such as: d8ykl9 that will help narrow down the Network driver which will get you on the net to fix the rest.

As mcsmc said, "Don't forget to take a few hour break to enjoy Christmas! "

 

Thanks - sorry for the rant.

I can get the service tag - not a problem (did a lot of that in the early days with this machine).

There's really not a great deal saved on this machine that would be lost...a few photos, which would be nice if we could get them, but, well, not the end of the world if not.

Thanks again, and I will take some time for Christmas. You-all be sure to do the same...... :wave

 

Thanks for the Merry Christmas!

I, strangely, actually like a fresh install once a year. Files may be lost but most of them are things I really don't miss.

I think we can get your computer working again with a few drivers. After you get any files you want to save backed up to another media such as USB flash drive or USB external HD then you might consider starting fresh.

That older machine may work surprisingly well with a new install. Something to consider after 9 years if you haven't done a fresh install in a long time.

 

Have actually been considering a fresh install for several months on this machine...we did do one done back in late `06 or early `07 (with LOTS of help from StudioT, here at MG'S) when the modem was damaged from a power surge (at least that's what we thought it was at the time - all we recall was that there had been a really bad wind storm around the time it stopped working), but in any event - I do like your idea of an annual fresh install.

I'm really not sure what "state" this machine would be considered to be in at the moment...I don't think I can access the internet (?), the machine starts, still in that "other than normal" mode, the screen saver seems to work (though it's the default XP screen saver - not the one which we had setup), but the machine must also be manually shut-down ... with control+alt+delete, it will give a screen that prompts: "It is now safe to turn-off your computer".

So, I suppose I could use the external HD I have for a backup of the small amount of pics and docs we would hope (would like) to be able to save, though I would sort of prefer to put it on a flash drive. I have a brand new one, but it's only 2 GB, and I'm not sure if that's enough space?

I will be around today...in & out...checking every hour-or-so to see if you've been able to reply......

Thanks again,
Glenn......

 

Good morning

We will need the service tag number to get the correct networking options. Is it connected to broadband (wired/wireless?).

My priority would be to get video up so that you can see things normally. You can download this driver put it on USB flash and copy it over to the Dell and run it. Reboot and you should have better video. Then we can take a look at device manager to see what is missing.

 

Good morning - beautiful - thank you.

I have the Service Tag (not sure if you want me to post it here for some reason?) ~ DQ90N11 - it is a wired connection, through a router (I have been and am typing to you now on a wireless connection from that router) and the connection is DSL, though actually (literally) THEE s~l~o~w~e~s~t DSL that this ISP here offers - bottom-tier of the six-or-so DSL/Broadband options that they offer).

I will download the driver to a flash drive now, copy it to the broken OS and run it and reboot) so at least that much will be done!

Thanks as always, see ya soon............

 

From what I can tell this is your Network Adapter. You can do the same with this one. Copy it over to the DELL and run it to install your LAN driver and reboot. See if you can get on the net.

 

As usual, I'm having trouble - already (yeah I know - shocker).

I have downloaded the ("Recommended") DellDriverDownloadManager.application...Dell "Recommended" it, or so i thought, because I was in a Chrome browser, and the recommendation seemed to be for IE or Firefox.

So, I switched-over to Firefox, downloaded it, and now it is still prompting me to download it, (so that, presumably, i can get the driver through Firefox, as they recommended that I do)???

SOOOOO confusing - as always.

I don't know what to do (?). Again, I have the DellDriverDownloadManager.application (that, again, Dell "recommended") program on this machine now, but how do I get Dell's Drivers and Downloads web-page to recognize this fact, so that i can get the driver, and then, so I can get it onto a flash drive, please?

(I realize i have probably confused you now, but I am just trying to do things the absolute best, simplest way i know how to do, while also learning how to do it - though i would absolutely settle for simply just getting this deal DONE - at this point!).

PS- *EDIT* having same problem with this network adapter you just sent me...wants to RE-download the program that I JUST downloaded.

 

Try going back to the original page and just using the Download via your Browser option. Then it will save the file in your normal download location and you can copy to USB.

 

Ok - doing that now....(thanks)

 

Ok, I've got the flash drive (I actually used an old "thumb" drive - that I had lying-around - not that I think it makes any difference) loaded onto the Dell, and am trying to figure-out which folder/file to run...I have nine (9) choices;

I'm "guessing" that it's this one: "Setup IGDIenu" - 156KB - correct, please?

 

Yes I guess that is the one. When i downloaded and extracted that file I see a 156kb file but mine is just named setup.exe. Go ahead and run your setup IGDlenu. It should be fine.

 

Ok thanks...

One day I "WILL" walk-away from these machines...never (never EVER) to return, Hopefully.

Upon first restart, I got a Blue Screen..."A problem has been detected.." - with several errors. I "think" this "may" have been due (I Hope?) because I had not removed the thumb (flash) drive...so I went head, and removed it.

Upon 2nd restart, I've gotten a Black Screen, saying it didn't start correctly, and prompts for "Safe", "Safe w/Networking", "Safe w/Command" and "Normal".

That apparently timed-out, and it's given me the Blue Screen again.

Virus? Something else??

 

I don't know you downloaded R106456.exe ?

 

Yes - I downloaded that program - directly from the link you sent.

Errors I'm getting (Blue Screen):

***STOP: 0X0000007B (0XF789E528, 0XC0000034, 0X00000000, 0X00000000)

 

Can you get into safe mode to remove the driver?

 

I "think" I can get into safe mode, but not sure "which" safe mode I would want to be in, and then not exactly sure how to remove the driver from there?