cannot start windows

rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
edited July 2005 in Hardware
Hello, I am new to these forums.

I have a computer running Windows XP Professional version 2000. When I try to boot up it says: "The file: '<windows root>\system32\hal.dll' is missing or corrupt. Please reinstall this file." So, I got the .dll off of the computer i am currently on, running the exact same version of xp pro as that one, (same install disc) and put it on a floppy. I then used the Recovery Console on the XP setup disc to copy the file into the "C:\Windows\system32\" folder. And yes, XP is installed in "C:\Windows". Can you help me please? I have very important data on this computer. I used my knoppix disc to view the files on the HDD, but I couldn't copy or paste onto the HDD.

-thanks
«1

Comments

  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited July 2005
    copying the file back as it was didnt work?

    you can do a repair install on the machine from the windowsXP cd that installs all of the system critical data files back to the machine
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Armo wrote:
    copying the file back as it was didnt work?

    you can do a repair install on the machine from the windowsXP cd that installs all of the system critical data files back to the machine

    I have a windowsXP cd, but it doesn't have the repair-install option when I press enter to "install Windows" it just comes up with a list of the partitions. I copyed the file from another xp computer onto the broken one, and it still didn't work.
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited July 2005
    if i remember correctly the repair install is part of the recovery console I THINK!

    as i find links ill edit this post

    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#Warning1

    http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxphome/installxpcdrepair/

    http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/windows/instructions/repairinstall.htm
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Armo wrote:
    if i remember correctly the repair install is part of the recovery console I THINK!

    as i find links ill edit this post

    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#Warning1

    http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxphome/installxpcdrepair/

    http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/windows/instructions/repairinstall.htm


    I have seen all these tutorials before, but After I accept the liscense agreement, it doesn't show the previous installations, just a menu with the partitions of the HDD and the options to delete partition create partition (if there is empty space) and ENTER to install Windows XP.
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited July 2005
    was is not actually copying the HAL.dll file or did it just not work after you did it, theres a way to "extract" individual files in the recovery consile too.
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Armo wrote:
    was is not actually copying the HAL.dll file or did it just not work after you did it, theres a way to "extract" individual files in the recovery consile too.

    huh?

    i did "extract" the "hal.dl_" file off of the install CD using recovery console, and copyed it to the C:\windows\system32 folder. It doesn't work even after i did it... multiple times... using the new one off of the cd, and one copyed from another xp pro computer.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    yeah its part of the recovery menu in the startup of the XP cd. It's a feature in XP Home AND XP Pro
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited July 2005
    well, theres a method of reinstalling XP so that it only deletes the Windows folder and nothing else, thats usually the way i reinstall windows, all of my data is still theres, but you'll have to reinstall pretty much all of the programs over again because they wont be in the registry anymore. if your really lazy, you can backup your registry and then restore it when the XP install finishes, also another option is if u have another computer, u can hook the *broken* hard drive into the working machine as a slave drive and extract all of your information. does it correctly rename HAL.DL_ to HAL.DLL on its own or do you have to specify it to complete the DLL part of the file name, i dont remember.
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    pilotwings119 wrote:
    yeah its part of the recovery menu in the startup of the XP cd. It's a feature in XP Home AND XP Pro

    But I'm telling you, ITS NOT THERE!! hold on for like 10-15 mins, ill take pix w/ my digital camera. brb.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    Armo wrote:
    well, theres a method of reinstalling XP so that it only deletes the Windows folder and nothing else, thats usually the way i reinstall windows, all of my data is still theres, but you'll have to reinstall pretty much all of the programs over again because they wont be in the registry anymore.
    what method is that? I've never heard of that one
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    rcracingfan24 wrote:
    But I'm telling you, ITS NOT THERE!! hold on for like 10-15 mins, ill take pix w/ my digital camera. brb.
    just making sure you havent missed it - you did hit the R in the Windows Setup menu, right?
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited July 2005
    i gotta remember it does it when i use my distribution of XP to reinstall.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    Armo wrote:
    i gotta remember it does it when i use my distribution of XP to reinstall.
    thats weird, because thats not what Repair Install is. It reinstalls all of the System Files, and leaves all programs and files untouched.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    Well wait - I was wrong. DON'T hit "R"!
    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

    Go here if indeed the Repair Install option is not there:
    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#warning2
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    00-AUT_0902.JPG

    Starting Windows Setup Disk.

    46-AUT_0903.JPG

    Loading Drivers, Etc...

    56-AUT_0905.JPG

    Welcome to Setup.

    31-AUT_0906.JPG

    License Agreement

    13-AUT_0907.JPG

    Screen after pressing "F8" to accept agreement.

    59-AUT_0908.JPG26-AUT_0909.JPG
    05-AUT_0910.JPG20-AUT_0911.JPG

    Closeup of the screen.



    SO, there is no "press 'R' to repair an installation." Oh, and, the four pix close together are top-let, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, of the screen, respectively.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    lol ok follow the link i posted above :)
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    49-AUT_0912.JPG

    This is the exact error.
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    ok, lemme go try that.
  • TroganTrogan London, UK
    edited July 2005
    Hang on...

    It says 'R=Repair' in your third pic. Isn't that what you want?
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    Trogan_1000 wrote:
    Hang on...

    It says 'R=Repair' in your third pic. Isn't that what you want?
    yeah i would think so, but this article says otherwise:
    http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Trogan_1000 wrote:
    Hang on...

    It says 'R=Repair' in your third pic. Isn't that what you want?


    That's using Recovery Console... A command prompt with limited abilities.

    OK, so, I followed one of the tutorials that someone linked to here, and it said to delete the boot.ini file in the C:\ directory, using the recovery console btw, and then use the command: "BootCfg /Rebuild" to rebuild the boot.ini file. I did this, but after It detected The Windows Installation, It said to type in the "Load Identifier" so I typed "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" then it asked for boot options. I opened the boot.ini file of this computer im currently on, and it said "/fastdetect" so I put that in, but it says "failed to add to the boot list." Lemme go take a pic for ya. brb.
  • TroganTrogan London, UK
    edited July 2005
    OK! Thought I'd mention incase someone missed it

    Sorry for butting in. I've never installed XP Pro before :o
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    rcracingfan24 wrote:
    OK, so, I followed one of the tutorials that someone linked to here, and it said to delete the boot.ini file in the C:\ directory, using the recovery console btw, and then use the command: "BootCfg /Rebuild" to rebuild the boot.ini file. I did this, but after It detected The Windows Installation, It said to type in the "Load Identifier" so I typed "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" then it asked for boot options. I opened the boot.ini file of this computer im currently on, and it said "/fastdetect" so I put that in, but it says "failed to add to the boot list." Lemme go take a pic for ya. brb.
    it sounds like you're getting somewhere.. let me look that up some more
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Here is the screen:

    29-AUT_0913.JPG

    Here is the tutorial I am talking about: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#warning2
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Trogan_1000 wrote:
    OK! Thought I'd mention incase someone missed it

    Sorry for butting in. I've never installed XP Pro before :o

    ahaha, lol, s'ok. I've only done it once or two, but they were clean installs, not repairs.
  • sfleurietsfleuriet Texas New
    edited July 2005
    ok so you did "attrib -h -r -s C:\boot.ini del C:\boot.ini" before "bootcfg /rebuild", right?

    also when it said "Add installation to boot list?" shouldn't you have typed Yes, No, or ALL?
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    pilotwings119 wrote:
    ok so you did "attrib -h -r -s C:\boot.ini del C:\boot.ini" before "bootcfg /rebuild", right?

    also when it said "Add installation to boot list?" shouldn't you have typed Yes, No, or ALL?


    When I tried attrib ... it came up with an error, so I copyed boot.ini to the C:\ drive as boot.bak, just in case, then I deleted boot.ini, and rebuild, should I have done the attrib commands? does that make a difference?

    Oh, add installation thing, i was in a hurry, lemme go try again. brb. P.S. thanks to every for your help!
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    Nope, saying "Yes" or "All" didn't make a difference. Do you know a link to microsoft for this kind of issue? Just wonderin'
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    rcracingfan24 wrote:
    When I tried attrib ... it came up with an error, so I copyed boot.ini to the C:\ drive as boot.bak, just in case, then I deleted boot.ini, and rebuild, should I have done the attrib commands? does that make a difference?

    Oh, add installation thing, i was in a hurry, lemme go try again. brb. P.S. thanks to every for your help!

    I mean, I deleted the boot.ini file, just w/o changing the attributes.
  • rcracingfan24rcracingfan24 Los Angeles
    edited July 2005
    uh-oh, i just found out that I didn't back up the boot.ini file. :bawling: lemme copy the boot.ini file form this cpu to that one. brb.
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