What is this problem “Hal.dll is Missing”???
Hi Ron13,
The "missing or corrupt hal.dll" error message means that there is a damaged hal.dll DLL file or a hal.dll file has been deleted or moved from the location where it’s supposed to be. In some cases, it can also be due to a damaged or missing boot.ini file or if the hard drive is physically damaged.
This message displays shortly after the computer is first started and would result in the Windows XP to not fully load.
This issue applies to the Windows XP operating systems, including Windows XP Pro and Windows XP Home. Windows 7 and Windows Vista operating systems do not experience this kind of issue simply because they do not utilize the hal.dll file.
Here are 10 ways you can solve the hal.dll error:
1. Restart your PC – There are instances where the hal.dll error is a minor booting mishap.
2. Booting sequence – Check the PC BIOS. The hal.dll error can occur if the boot order in BIOS is configured to first try to boot up with a hard drive other than your main hard drive. If you've recently flashed your BIOS or recently changed the boot order, this is probably what's causing the problem.
3. Do a System Restore from the command prompt – If this doesn't work or you're receiving the hal.dll error message before you're able to complete this process, move on to the next step.
a. Restart your computer
b. Once it lights up, press F8 and keep pressing until you see the Windows Advanced Option Menu
c. Choose Safe Mode with Command Prompt
d. At the Command Prompt, type C:windowssystem32restorerstrui.exe and press Enter.
e. Follow the rest of the instructions given there to perform the System Restore process.
4. Repair or replace the boot.ini file — This will work if the cause of the problem is actually Windows XP's boot.ini file and not the hal.dll file, which is often times the case.
Here's How:
a. Boot from the Windows XP CD
b. Once you see a blue screen that says Welcome to Setup. Press R to enter the Recovery Console.
c. Choose the Windows installation (1) and Administrator password if asked.
d. When you reach the command line, type bootcfg /rebuild and then press Enter.
The bootcfg utility is going to scan your hard drives for any Windows XP installations then give you the results.
To add your Windows XP installation to the boot.ini file.
e. On Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All).
Type Y and press Enter.
f. On Enter Load Identifier:
Type Windows XP Professional or whatever your OS is and press Enter.
g. On Enter OS Load options:
Type /Fastdetect and press Enter.
h. Eject the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
Note: If repairing the boot.ini fixes the hal.dll issue but comes back after another reboot and you've recently installed Internet Explorer 8, uninstall IE8. In this case only, IE8 may just be the cause of the hal.dll error.
5. Write a new partition boot sector – If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or isn't properly configured, you may receive the hal.dll error.
a. Follow the steps provided above (4. Repair or replace the boot.ini file) until letter c.
b. When you reach the command line, type fixboot and then press Enter.
The fixboot utility will repair any corruption in the partition boot sector and will undo any partition boot sector configurations that could be causing the problem.
c. Eject the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
6. Recover data from bad sector – If the physical part of your hard drive that stores any part of the hal.dll file has been damaged, you're likely to see errors like this.
a. Follow the steps provided above (4. Repair or replace the boot.ini file) until letter c.
b. When you reach the command line, type chkdsk /r and then press Enter.
chkdsk scans your hard drive for any damaged sectors and recover them if possible.
c. Eject the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
7. Restore the hal.dll file from the Windows XP CD – If the hal.dll file is truly the cause of the problem, restoring it from the original Windows XP CD may do the trick.
a. Follow the steps provided above (4. Repair or replace the boot.ini file) until letter c.
b. When you reach the command line, type expand d:i386hal.dl_ c:windowssystem32 and then press Enter.
c. If prompted to overwrite the file, press Y.
d. Eject the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
8. Repair the installation of Windows XP – This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files.
a. Boot from the Windows XP CD
b. Press Enter to setup Windows XP now.
c. In the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen. Press F8 to confirm that you agree with the terms.
d. Select the Windows Installation you want to repair (normally there is only 1 there) and press R on the keyboard to continue.
e. Don’t worry about losing your files. Only system files that Windows XP is able to restore should be the ones deleted.
f. Follow the next prompts in the Repair process.
9. Reinstall Windows XP – If all other options fail, then I’m afraid it’s time to reinstall Windows XP.
Important: BACK UP YOUR FILES. THIS PROCESS WILL REMOVE EVERYTHING.
10. Replace the hard drive – If for some reason event the clean installation of Windows XP still did not work, then most likely this is a hardware issue. You may also try to use another OS first. Try Windows 7 or Vista, they don’t use a hal.dll file.
