[merlin34]

I have been given an IBM Laptop for my children to use. It has Windows XP loaded and was working fine up until the fourth day of using. It now won't get past the DOS window and comes up with the following message. <windows root>\system32\hal.dll
Any suggestions pther than reloading windows XP? I can't get into Windows at all so doing anything in that will not work, sorry.
Cheers,

[Advertisements]

Items in blue which are underlined are clickable to give more information about the process

Start the System Restore Utility at a command prompt

1. Restart your computer, and keep tapping F8 during the initial start-up until you get options, select Safe Mode with a Command Prompt then press enter.

2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.

3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

Look for the most recent system checkpoint created before the errors to restore from

For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click 315222 to see a description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

[Retired Tech]

Items in blue which are underlined are clickable to give more information about the process

Start the System Restore Utility at a command prompt

1. Restart your computer, and keep tapping F8 during the initial start-up until you get options, select Safe Mode with a Command Prompt then press enter.

2. Log on to your computer with an administrator account or with an account that has administrator credentials.

3. Type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to restore your computer to an earlier state.

Look for the most recent system checkpoint created before the errors to restore from

For additional information about the Safe mode with a command prompt, click 315222 to see a description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP

[merlin34]

Keith,
I would have tried what you suggested if I could only get that far! It is an IBM ThinkPad and when I turned it on I tapped F8 but it comes up in DOS stating "Operating System not found" The original error message said that the system32\hal.dll was not foound or corrupt and needs to be re-loaded. I copied the file from my desktop computer onto a CD and changed the startup sequence in setup utility to startup in Diskette Drive and CD-ROM Drive as 1st priority but to no avail.
I can get the setup utility when I press F1, but that is as far as I can get.
Is it a case of complete reload of Windows XP? I am a lost cause?

[Retired Tech]

1. Configure the computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

2. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.

3. When you receive the Press any key to boot from CD message, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.

4. When you receive the Welcome to Setup message, press R to start the Recovery Console.

5. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you have to use from the Recovery Console.

6. When you are prompted, type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.

7. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /list, and then press ENTER. The entries in your current Boot.ini file appear on the screen.

8. At the command prompt, type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER. This command scans the hard disks of the computer for Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT installations, and then displays the results.

Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to add the Windows installations to the Boot.ini file. For example, follow these steps to add a Windows XP installation to the Boot.ini file:

a. When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press Y: Total Identified Windows Installs: 1

[1] C:\Windows

Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)

b. You receive a message that is similar to the following message: Enter Load Identifier

This is the name of the operating system. When you receive this message, type the name of your operating system, and then press ENTER.

This is either Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.

c. You receive a message that is similar to the following: Enter OS Load options

When you receive this message, type /fastdetect, and then press ENTER.

Note The instructions that appear on your screen may be different, depending on the configuration of your computer.

9. Type exit, and then press ENTER to quit Recovery Console.

Your computer restarts, and the updated boot list appears when you receive the "Please select the operating system to start" message.

[merlin34]

Hiya,
Sorry I haven't replied earlier but as the computer was pre-loaded I had to borrow a Windows xP home edition disc. I've got the configuration to start with the CD drive and the screen came up after loading the files with "Welcome to Setup"
There are 3 options:
* To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER
* To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R
* To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3

In the first two it comes back with "Setup did not find any hard disk drivers installed in your computer"

Does that mean the hard drive is corrupt and needs changing?

Thanks for your help.

[wannabe1]

Hello merlin34...

Does the Primary Master HDD show up in BIOS Setup? BIOS is usually entered by tapping either the Delete key or the F1 key. I'm not sure what it is on a Thinkpad, but it should tell you with a line of text on one of the first boot screens..."Press {key} to enter Setup".

You might open the HDD access panel on the bottom of the machine and make sure the drive is securely connected.

It does sound like the HDD has died, though...

wannabe1