Can't boot! hal.dll conundrum - please help me!

[Willem Dafoe]

Can't boot my PC. Message says hal.dll is corrupt or missing. Searched
net for solutions and have tried the following...
1. Re-built boot.ini using bootcfg / repair. Same problem.
2. Tried re-install, repair option, of Win XP. When PC re-booted I got
the same error message!!
3. Installed new copy of XP on 2nd hard drive. PC boots, I can see my
disk 1 and all looks well.
4. Re-copied hal.dll and ntoskernl from good version of XP onto bad
one. Same problem.
5. Full scan using norton and ad-aware revealed nothing.

Microsoft web site has no further ideas. Can anyone help? The last
thing I did before I had the problem was a defrag using the XP defrag.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Willem

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Can't boot my PC. Message says hal.dll is corrupt or missing. Searched
net for solutions and have tried the following...
1. Re-built boot.ini using bootcfg / repair. Same problem.
2. Tried re-install, repair option, of Win XP. When PC re-booted I got
the same error message!!
3. Installed new copy of XP on 2nd hard drive. PC boots, I can see my
disk 1 and all looks well.
4. Re-copied hal.dll and ntoskernl from good version of XP onto bad
one. Same problem.
5. Full scan using norton and ad-aware revealed nothing.

Microsoft web site has no further ideas. Can anyone help? The last
thing I did before I had the problem was a defrag using the XP defrag.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Willem

What is the recent history of this machine?

 

[Rich Barry]

Willem, if the Repair Install failed on first reboot try from your good
version of XP to get to the Restore or System Volume
Folder on non-working version of WinXP. You may have to go to
MyComputer>Tools>Folder Options>View>click on
" Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide protected operating
system files" in order to see the folders. Open either
one of those folders and you should see a number of Restore folders.
Choose the RP folder number that is one or two short of highest Open that
folder and then open the Snapshot folder. Copy the first five Registry
Files. Paste them in the C:\Windows\System32\Config Folder. Delete the
five files Sam, Software, Default, System and Security already
there or copy and paste them into a different folder and then rename the
five files you pasted to Sam, Software etc. If your
Repair Install got almost to the conclusion then forget the above until
next time. This works if you get a System/Config
error also. Good Luck.