Fixing HAL.dll

This .DLL error typically occurs in the Windows XP operatings system. It is known to be caused by a damaged, moved or deleted hal.dll, by a damaged or missing boot.ini file, or it can be caused by a bad hard drive. To troubleshoot the cause of the error, perform the following:

1. Restart the computer. The error may not persist.

2. Verify that your BIOS is booting in the appropriate order. You can change the boot order of devices by accessing the BIOS setup utility. This is usually done by pressing a particular key when the computer is booting up. The key is usually “delete” or “F2” but it differs depending on the make of the computer. Your computer should be booting from the “Main” drive first, not the “Hard Drive”.

3. Run the XP System Restore

4. Recover data from bad sectors on your hard drive by running the “chkdsk -r” command from the Windows XP recovery console.

5. Perform a repair installation of Windows XP (This will require a Windows XP CD)

6. Repair or replace the the boot.ini file (This will require a Windows XP CD, Steps Below)

• Insert a Windows XP CD into the disc drive and reboot the computer

• Boot from the Windows XP CD into the recovery console

• Once at the command line, type this command: “bootcfg -rebuild” (without quotes) and hit ENTER

• After the operation, you should see: “Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)

• Type “Y” (without quotes) into the command line and hit ENTER

• The next prompt should be: “Enter load identifier:”

• If you are using Windows XP Home Edition, type “Windows XP Home Edition” (without quotes)

  If you are using Windows XP Professional, type “Windows XP Professional” (without quotes)

  After entering your operating system, hit ENTER

• The next prompt should be: “Enter OS Load options:”

• Type “/Fastdetect” (without quotes) and hit ENTER

• Eject the Windows XP CD from the drive.

• Type “exit” (without quotes) into the command line and hit ENTER

The computer will now reboot and your boot.ini file should be corrected. If you are still experiencing hal.dll issues you may want to perform a clean installation of Windows. If a clean installation of Windows does not solve the problem, you most likely have a bad hard drive.