URGENT: hal.dll missing or corrupt

[skool h8r]

Hi all,
earlier, i was going to install ubuntu onto a 7Gb partition. Long story short, it crashed when it was copying. Now, when i shutdown, and switched back on, i was going to go back to XP. But, at boot up, i get an error stating that hal.dll is missing or corrupt. I've tried everything:

recovery console (copy from xp disc to system32, copy from servicepackfiles\i386 to system32).
Creating a dos copy program on a floppy disc to copy from servicepackfiles\i386 to system32 (it didn't work because it wouldn't let it be bootable )

Ok, that's not everything i know, but i'm stumped and i can't get onto any of my XP partitions. My xp disc doesn't pick up any of them as having windows installed and doesn't even ask if i want to repair them

So yeah, in need of urgent help, i'm writing this using the ubuntu live disc so i need some way to get back into XP.

Thanks,
Scott.

[captaincurran]

take a boot disk and go into dos and check if the windows folder, and/or your my documents folders are even existing. if they are, then you're luckier than I am. i lost mine when i had that error before. i had to format and reinstall windows all together

[Daniel ~]

OH! Join the club!

[captaincurran]

We got T-Shirts!

[Repo Man]

SYMPTOMS
When you start your computer after you upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive one or both of the following error messages:
Invalid Boot.ini
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

Windows\System32\Hal.dll

If you've already tried that page, I have nothing more to offer. Good luck!

[gedon]

watch out for a hidden directory. sometimes win xp moves some files to this directory, because it things that these files are damaged. In your case the hall.dll needs these files to work correct.

[cadaveca]

HAL is Hardware Abstraction Layer..how the OS interfaces with your hardware. Naturally, if it can't interface wit hyour hardware, crap can't run.


This can soemtimes be due to a drive being labelled as boot drive in bios and the boot.ini file is on another drive. make sure your system is set to boot form the drive on which this file resides.

If you've taken care of that, and it stil ldoesn't work, try lowering any overclock you may have.

If that doesn't work, it's time to pull out your XP CD and do a repair.

[captaincurran]

slight bit more useful comment from me: corrupt or missing Hal.dll

[skool h8r]

damn. So look's like a whole reinstallation. When i booted from my XP disc, i could select which partition i wanted, so i selected the one i wanted to repair. IT picked up the WINDOWS directory as being present. I went into recovery console, typed "dir D:\" and lo and behold, boot.ini is present. I then typed "dir D:\WINDOWS\system32" and whadayaknow, hal.dll is there.

I fell asleep while it was running "chkdsk D: /P", and someone had switched it off when i awoke. So i had to go through it again this morning. It's not saying that any repairs needed to be made. I had read somewhere that it could be partitions "overlapping" which is causing problems, which would make windows think the disc was bigger than it actually is.

From the other post, i've managed to sudo to root, now about this repair option, what do i do? I've got 2 drives (1 dvd and 1 cd-rw) which is ok since it means i probably don't need to remove the live CD.

Thanks,
Scott.

EDIT: oh yeah, forgot to mention that the partiton i want torepiar is SP2 but my disc isn't, so i am going to lose information on the drive since 48bit LBA isn't enabled by default.

[skool h8r]

UPDATE: Ok, i've managed to install XP into a seperate folder and got the network drivers, XG drivers and sounds drivers installed. I can't access my old user account from Windows Explorer. Luckily for me, i have got a copy of paragon partition manager, which includes partition explorer, which allows me to view every single file and folder without restriction. Should i back up all my old data now and then start again?

Unfortunately for me, the worst possible screen i could have expected appeared: chkdsk, and it deleted a load of files (including delphi, and farcry), went to the 'recovering orphaned file' stage and completely invalidated a whole partition. Luckily though, it's not a crucial partition and only had loads of games on, which in can always install again. Thing is though, it's 86.3Gb out of a 200Gb drive that's completely useless, even with Partition explorer.

I suppose a good thing is that if i do start again, i'm likely to be completely virus free. I've got to look at it in the best possible way as it's happened before (you all remember the kerfuffle i had when i upgraded to A64).

So yeah, i need advice on what i should do from here.

Thanks,
Scott.

[skool h8r]

UPDATE: Triple post, i know but i've managed to save my stuff. Lucky i bought that 160Gb sata drive because if i hadn't i wouldn't have had space to even reinstall XP let alone backup. But i have managed, using the XP backup tool, to bypass the security restrictions that were on my folders by creating a backup file, then restoring them to a folder on my sata drive. Still got another 50 minutes of restoring to do but at least i have got it all sorted out or found a way round at least. When i'm done, i'll post a guide for other people.

Still means i have to reinstall all my stuff but it does mean i won't have apps i don't need any more. Might have to install SP2 as well as the 3.1 installer from MS's site tends to mess things up and means another reinstall or repair.

There is one little thing though, i'm currently have problems getting windows to load unless i have the disc in the DVD drive, kinda like bypassing the boot selection. Anyone point me in the direction of a fix for it?

Thanks,
Scott.

[Daniel ~]

Nice piece of research! I'd have given up the ghost and reinstalled! Very well done skool h8r!

[skool h8r]

Thanks. It's still an expensive option as things are never gonna be the same, all my settings, security, even network drive settings are gonna have to be done again. Plus i've had to rescue what i can off of the corrupted partition and then wipe it and put all the stuff back. I decided when i got my sata drive it was gonna be dedicated to games and 3d apps.

Lucky for me though, i do have an application that i made a while ago. It allows you to change the location of system folders (such as "My documents", "administrative tools", "Favourites", and so on). That alone has probably saved me a few hours as it means i don't have to copy the 60+Gb of data that i had downloaded from between my A64 upgrade and the crash yesterday. Instead, i simply type the new path into the application, click apply, close, restart and it's all there. When i finish my guide (yet to start it), i'll upload it to AOAFiles.

So from all out mayhem, right through to almost completely back to as i was, in less than 24 hours! I bet my college tutor wouldn't believe me *manic laughing*

It's typical that this would happen when i start my half term holiday. *rolls eyes*

[Daniel ~]

Any deer can out run the wolf. So the Wolf waits for the deer to have a bad day.

[skool h8r]

lol, how true. Well, i've just finished my guide. I'll upload the software to AOAFiles tomorrow but here's the guide for now.

Who killed HAL?

When Windows XP goes down, it tends to try and take all your personal files and programs with it. A lot of the time, people experience errors with crucial system files, one of the worst offenders being HAL.dll.

So, who is Hal?
HAL stands for Hardware Abstraction Layer and is the way that Windows XP interacts with your hardware. When XP was released, Microsoft was pushing for developers of DOS games to use HAL as their “gate” to interact with hardware, rather than direct interaction. For some developers, this wasn’t a problem, but for others, it meant that their games became abandonware as they either couldn’t change the way the game worked, or couldn’t be bothered.

However, enough of the history. What happens when Hal decides to go walkabout or worse, decides it wants to end it all (dies)? Windows decides that it too is going to try and take its own life, but is unsuccessful and ends up in a coma. When it awakes, it tells you that Hal has gone missing, or worse. So how do you find Hal, or replace him if he’s gone?

This is the problem that many users of Windows XP face every single day. Since Hal is a crucial component of XP, when it goes missing or dies, it’s bound to end in disaster. Or so you would think. There is a way to get back to working state if such a disaster happens.

This guide is designed to help you get from a total massacre, up to running stable (if not more stable) than before Hal died. All in just a few hours.

Firstly, you need to make sure you have plenty of space on your Hard Drive. I’d recommend about the same amount as you had before the crash. Next, you need to make sure you have your XP disc and product key with you. If you made it yourself, make sure you can boot from it. And finally, you may need a program called Paragon Partition Manager (if your drive is over 137 GB, then you will need it, otherwise, you won’t need it) (needs to be a full version but is worth the money).

Firstly, insert the XP disc and boot from it as normal. When you are presented with the choices screen, go into the setup as you would do if you were installing on a fresh Hard Drive. Now, from here, there are 2 paths. One is the simple way but may not be available, and the other is long but always available. So it’s kind of a dark forest or grandmas’ house situation. The easy way, if it’s available, is to select the partition that’s damaged. Press [ENTER]. If you are presented with the option to repair, go that way as you really have nothing to lose and it works about 90% of the time.

But oh no, what’s this, repair isn’t an option, whattodo?
Breathe. That’s the best thing to do. Calming down is the best thing to do when you’re in such a predicament. If you need 10 minutes to calm down, go away from computer, nothing’s gonna have changed when you get back, but don’t start getting high or drunk, you’re bound to mess up your computer if you do. Once you’ve calmed down, you need to go to the partition that’s damaged, or even better, a separate partition. You could even go one better and go on a different disc as it will speed things up a lot later (you’ll see what I mean). If it’s a SATA II drive, this is the best thing you could do. So, decide where you are going to install XP and the install it. Go all the way through setup until you are at the desktop of your new XP installation.

From here, you have access to everything you need to get back to where you were before Hal died. The first thing you should do is open the backup utility. The one included with Windows XP is one of the best and so under-rated. To get to it, you need to open My Computer. Right click the damaged partition and select Properties. Click the Tools tab and click the Backup now button. When it opens, you need to click the Advanced mode link. This will bring you to the main interface. Click the Backup button (the top big button). Click next. In the dialog you can see now, click the middle radio button and click Next. From this screen, you need to click the + symbol next to My Computer on the left panel. Then click the checkbox at the side of the damaged partition. You should see a blue checkmark appear next to it. Click the next button. You’re almost there. You will see in the new dialog that the top selection box is disabled/greyed out. The middle box will have a Browse button at the side of it. Click it and select somewhere to backup you’re data. It needs to be large enough to store all your data. Double the size is even better (if this is the case, you will need to split it into 2 separate partitions). Once you have selected a place to backup your data, click Save. You will be returned to the Backup wizard screen. In the bottom box, you can enter a name for your backup. I recommend something easy to remember. When you are ready, click Next.

You will now be given the option of backing up using default settings, or using your own advanced settings. We need to change settings so click the Advanced button. From the first drop down box, select Copy. Selecting this will save you a hell of a lot of time as Windows doesn’t have to mark each file as backed up. Click next. In the next step, you need to check that the top checkbox (Verify data after backup) and the bottom check box (Disable volume shadow copy) are both unchecked. If they’re checked, uncheck them. Click next, and then click next again. From where you are now, you can set the backup to run either now, or at a scheduled time later on. Since you probably want to get all your files back, click Next without changing anything. You will be presented with a summary of the settings that the backup tool will use. When you are ready, take a deep breath and click finish.

It has begun. From here on in, there’s nothing you can do until the process has finished. So it’s a matter of make something to eat, have a drink, (no getting drunk or stoned though), even go to sleep for a few hours (if it’s 2am and you’re actually following this guide, sleep is a good idea). When the process has finished, you should click Close. If you want to restore your files immediately, click the Restore and Manage Media tab. Otherwise, shut the computer down and get some more rest.

Bringing order to the chaos.
So now you want your files back. Hmmm, well that’s too bad because I’m not going to tell you what to do. Just kidding, it’s an easy job from here. From the Restore and Manage Media tab, click the top checkbox in the left panel. Then select the new checkbox that’s just been displayed. Then, in the right panel, select the checkbox that relates to the drive you backed up. Once selected, in the Restore files to dropdown box, select Single folder. In the alternate location box, browse for the folder or type the path manually. Once that’s done, click Start Restore. In the next dialog that appears, click Advanced. If you don’t, you won’t be able to access your files. In the Advanced Restore Options dialog, uncheck the Restore security option and click OK. The program will then start to restore your files to the folder you specified in Alternate location. Leave it to run all the way through.

Last little hurdle.
Since you have now restored all your data, you will probably want to set your desktop to the same folder you had before Hal died. To do this, you will need to download a program called Free-locater. I created this program myself (it is based off a pre-made project though). You can download it from AOAFiles and it is completely free. Once it is downloaded, you need to open it. From the top dropdown box, select Desktop. In the bottom box, enter the path you the folder you want to use as your Desktop. Click Set, and then click Apply. If you want to change My Documents, follow the same procedure except in the top box, select My Documents, and in the bottom box, enter the path to the My Documents folder. Once again, click Set and then click Apply. Then you can exit the program. Are you ready for happiness? If you are, take a deep breath and restart the computer.

What’s wrong now? Hal’s still causing problems!
I am personally experiencing this problem and the only way to get round it is to have the XP disc in your drive when the computer boots. (But DO NOT let the disc boot into setup). I have yet to find a way around this but will update the guide if I find one. Just let the computer boot and you’ll be back at Windows with everything as it was before the crash.

If you want to customize any more of the Special Windows Folders, simply open Free-locator and select the relevant folder. Then enter the path, click Set and then click Apply. Done! Restart the computer and you’re done.

You can delete the backup file you created earlier. If you aren’t getting a message about Hal anymore, you can unmount the partition so Windows doesn’t pick it up. If you don’t get an error message, you can simply format the partition and if you want to, resize your new Windows installation partition so that it uses the entire disc. For this you will need Paragon Partition Manager. The program is pretty self explanatory and easy to use.

There you have it; you destroyed the Hal Demon, and got back to working. Of course, you might need to install device drivers and software, but that’s nothing when you think that you could have lost all your data.

This is Scott Pritchard, signing out.

Thoughts?

[Repo Man]

The only time I've had this error, I followed the instructions on the MSKB page I linked to, and was back to normal in a very short time.

[skool h8r]

Originally Posted by Repo Man

The only time I've had this error, I followed the instructions on the MSKB page I linked to, and was back to normal in a very short time.

But had you messed with your partitions before you had to read it? Thats why i'm never mixing linux with my gaming rig again. ever.

[Daniel ~]

Front Page Dude! Many thanks!

http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/c.../view/1325/31/

[skool h8r]

Whoo! SJ Labs and frontpage!