Trouble:
One of our readers Senthil wrote
“When I switch on the computer the following error will displayed : <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll is missing or corrupt please reinstall the copy of above file”
What is hal.dll ?
Short for Hardware Abstraction Layer, HAL is an operating system programming layer that enables the operating system to operate with a hardware device. hal.dll is the dynamic link library file that implements the functionality of HAL.
When “hal.dll missing or corrupt” message appears, it can be because of damaged or missing hal.dll file. It can also be because of some wrong entries in boot.ini file in case you are using two operating systems on your computer. Also it can be because of improper BIOS entries of the disk drives etc.
Lets have a look on how this can be fixed.
Fix:
We have checks and steps you need to follow to fix this error:
Step 1: Check the boot device order in BIOS. For this follow the steps below:
- Restart your computer and keep pressing the Delete button on keyboard. This will take you to BIOS screen.
- Go to Boot Menu in BIOS and verify that your hard disk which contains Windows installation is the topmost in boot sequence if you have more than one hard disk.
Step 2: If the above step does not solve your problem, then you need to repair the boot.ini file. See this link for the same.
Step 3: In most of the cases, Step 1 on checking the boot order and Step 2 on repair of boot.ini file will fix the problem. In case the problem is still there, you need to replace the hal.dll from Windows XP Boot disk. For this, boot the computer with the help of Windows XP Boot CD, select the repair setup. On command prompt, type the command as below:
expand x:\i386\hal.dl_ y:\windows\system32\hal.dll
Where x is the drive letter of your CD-ROM and Y is drive letter of your windows partition (usually c: )
Step 4: Even after Step3 if you are facing a problem, then you need to run a repair setup of Windows XP. See this link for details.
Step5: If you are still facing the problem, then unfortunately your Hard Disk Drive has gone faulty, you need to get it replaced.
We hope the the solution provided above will help you fix the trouble.
Comments
I’ve seen this error before after upgrading the BIOS on an old PC that didn’t support APCI. Good info!
The correct syntax is expand x:\i386\hal.dl_ y:\windows\system32
I have a Toshiba Satellite 1805-S204
I tried to fix my boot.ini like you said but my Windows cd won’t boot.
I tried to change the boot setup so the cd would boot but it gave me an PEX-E61 Error.
and I can get into the OS because I think I’m missing the Hal.dll
So can you help me format my laptop
Thanks
Dear all,
Thanks for which I was able to recover my ntldr and hal.dll files which was corrupt due to virus.
Regards
Ebenezer
while expand. “access is denied.” is coming. how can i access or fix the problem. can u help me. plz send details to my mail.
hello. I have the same problem and when I put in my bootable xp cd, it doesnt boot, just runs some text trough the screen and finally theres a line like: dos: A\: ( something like that). I cant get to the recovery console. what can I do? please answer. I already so frustrated to get it work.thanks
I had tried several online fix including the guide that had published here regarding this stupid problem.
hi i am having acer aspire d250 netbook
initially i had window xp home edition installed to it
however later formatted and installed ubuntu (dont have dual os boot, having only ubuntu os)
now i want to install fresh copy of windows xp home edition, i copied iso to my flash drive
and tried installing xp from the flash drive,
there is no luck same error message, hal.dll file missing please reinstall,
can any one help me on this pleaseeeeeee
i have a problem with my cd i cant boot anything… ๐
but thank u i know what to do
Don`t forget to run chkdsk before you recover hal.dll, it worked for me!
Dear All,
I also faced the problem with WD1200BB in Dell Optiplex GX240
“Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.”
I tried several times with different troubleshooting bbut failed. Atlast I insert a XP Ghost CD in CDdrive and witnin 11 min I succeeded to install windows but it was XP SP1. PL. TRY XP GHOST CD TO INSTALL WINDOWS
corrupt hal.dll can be repaired by typing these command once you are in the recovery console:
chkdsk /p
checkdisk can resolve the problem. it was just a wild idea but it did work for me.
yes it sure works for me to
It worked for me …. thanks
Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer.
When you receive the message to press R to repair Windows by using the Recovery Console, press the R key.
Thank you very much.
This was very usefull
Best regards,
izik
i am instilling for 1st time i am not getting recovery console option can u pls help me
dear frd,
i had tried some thing new
1)turn the safe mode on by clicking f8 during the start of window
2)then go to system property
3)then go to start up and recovery
4)go to edit (some thing must be wrong there)
5)and write
[Boot Loader]
Timeout=0
[Operating Systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Microsoft Windows XP Professional” /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
it WILL WORK
I have a problem with labop i can’t boot anythingโฆ
This messege appears
โWindows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\system32\hal.dll.
I can’t find the repair option on my product recovery DVD-ROM (Toshiba Qosmio F20)
I need your help so much
I tried to copy x:\i386\hal.dl_ y:\windows\system32\hal.dll
but its still not working Please suggest me how I can copy through console mode because my system32 file hal.dll is missing or crrupted.