[onetimehelper]

It is THANKGIVING 2009!..happy thanksgiving!

I just experienced this problem... missing/corrupt hal.dll etc...

and I fixed it!

I was at wits end... nothing was working... "access is denied" "wrong parameters" etc...

but then I typed:

expand d:\i386\hal.dl_

without: c:\windows\system32\hal.dll (without the destination)

copied hal.dll straight to C:\

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I know this is an old thread, but there was a new post last month, so I don't feel too terrible bumping it again. I have my old computer sitting dormant for the last year because of the <windows root>\system32\hal.dll error message.

All of the instructions are great, providing you have the original XP disc. My old computer is 5 years old and came pre-progammed so I do not have a disc to use.

I also cannot access any files to change the name or do anything with them...all I get when I start the computer is the attempt to start...it states that there was a problem and gives me the options of Safe Mode, , etc....No matter what I chose and which keys I press, the computer seems to start properly with the Windows logo, but always goes back to original page asking me how I want to start it.

I don't care about the computer, but I do have some photos, music, and some personal emails that I might need for a court case, on it that I really need to access.

Aside from paying big bucks to have someone look at it for me, is there something I can do ( I am willing to put in the time for this, just not the money) to get it started or at least access some files. I just am not willing to pay 200. for a XP disc when I don't even know if it will work or if that will erase the data I am looking to preserve.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Lauree

[lauree]

I know this is an old thread, but there was a new post last month, so I don't feel too terrible bumping it again. I have my old computer sitting dormant for the last year because of the <windows root>\system32\hal.dll error message.

All of the instructions are great, providing you have the original XP disc. My old computer is 5 years old and came pre-progammed so I do not have a disc to use.

I also cannot access any files to change the name or do anything with them...all I get when I start the computer is the attempt to start...it states that there was a problem and gives me the options of Safe Mode, , etc....No matter what I chose and which keys I press, the computer seems to start properly with the Windows logo, but always goes back to original page asking me how I want to start it.

I don't care about the computer, but I do have some photos, music, and some personal emails that I might need for a court case, on it that I really need to access.

Aside from paying big bucks to have someone look at it for me, is there something I can do ( I am willing to put in the time for this, just not the money) to get it started or at least access some files. I just am not willing to pay 200. for a XP disc when I don't even know if it will work or if that will erase the data I am looking to preserve.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Lauree

[rshaffer61]

Lauree borrow a XP disk of the same type you have ...Home or Pro
Then proceed with the steps.
If you cannot then you will need the Recovery cd or you will need to purchase it from the manufacturer of your system.

[grossiemon]

Have never had any problems with my laptop, but got the error relating to a corrupt hal.dll file. Saw the instructions to reboot with a cd-rom and choose recovery mode when I got the the welcome to setup stage. Unfortunately, the next thing I saw was a message that said, "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed on your computer. Make sure hard drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. This may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program." The the next line say, "Setup cannot continue. To quit Setup, press F3"

The only thing I can think of is that the cd-rom I am using is a professional version instead of a home version (but I assumed each would have the same initialization file). I got the xp prof. version from the IT guy at my office since my laptop came with a pre-installed version of the OS and I don't have the cd-rom. I could probably get my hands on a home version of xp cd-rom if I need to, but the error message above makes me wonder if that will make a difference. Anyone have any insight that would be helpful? I figure the worst thing that happens is that I will need to remove the hard drive to extract files I need before reinstalling it and then reinstalling the os again, but I (obviously) am hoping for a simpler way to return the functionality of my laptop without losing the files saved on my c drive. Help, please!!!