34 replies to this topic

[LDTate]

OK. Nite

[jawa500]

Took repair option - no boot entries to list Rebuild option failed to find a windows installation Dir of c:\ shows folder names as "d" type with zero bytes Tried to CD a folders but said cannot find file or directory specified He has a 80GB hard disk and it chkdsk says he has 78GB free. Looks like it has been wiped. Any way to recover data on hard disk? Booting off CD and using some recovery tools?

[LDTate]

What happens when you try to boot? Any errors, etc.?

[jawa500]

Just as before Rebooted pc and it now cannot start windows as can't find <windows root>\system32\hal.dll

[LDTate]

This is what I could come up with. Hopefully Option 1 or 2 will work for you. HAL.DLL is Missing - Updated by MVP Alex Nichol Option 1: Boot from your CD and follow the directions to start Recovery Console. Then: Attrib -H -R -S C:\Boot.ini DEL C:\Boot.ini BootCfg /Rebuild Fixboot Option 2: Boot from your CD and follow the directions below to start Recovery Console. Insert the Setup compact disc (CD) and restart the computer. If prompted, select any options required to boot from the CD. When the text-based part of Setup begins, follow the prompts; choose the repair or recover option by pressing R. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access from the Recovery Console. When prompted, type the Administrator password. (if you didn't create one try pressing enter). At the system prompt, type Recovery Console commands; type help for a list of commands, or help commandname for help on a specific command. Most likely you will need to expand the file from the CD. The command would be expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll. Substitute d: for the drive letter of your CD. Once you have expanded the file type "exit" to exit the Recovery Console and restart the computer. TIP: Recovering Windows XP using the Recovery Console Update: Shaun Gray (3/2005) states: Let me review my experience / problem with hal.DLL with you all: I Received a computer with win XP home sp2 that after uninstalling IML4, and Installing IML5, and rebooting. (IML being Imesh light) Computer displayed windows root\system32\hal.dll is missing or corrupt, please re-install. NO MODES would boot from advanced boot options Only bootable option was from CD Repair console would not EDIT system from OEM XP HOME CD FixMBR did not solve anything Bootcfg /list, bootcfg /rebuild did not solve anything Fixboot did not solve anything Solution Option 1 wouldn’t work with multi attributes with out “|” in between them. ****** Solution Option 1 didn’t solve anything, except inadvertently adding a second OS to boot.ini Solution Option 2 was unusable with OEM XP HOME SP2 CD. Solution Opt 2 with XP PRO SP2 Integrated CD “Functioned”, but was "unable to expand file" REINSTALLING WINDOWS IS NOT AN OPTION. Final Solution: Removed hard drive from system. Added Hard drive to a 2nd WORKING XP PRO System. As Slave on Cable select. ***(all references to “D:\” are the Slave Hard drive damaged windows)*** Booted system and enabled - Explorer\tools\folder options Display contents of system folders. Show Hidden Files and Folders. UN-check Hide Protected OS Files. Go to “D:\” open Boot.ini in NOTEPAD, remove the Extra OS’s added with option 1. Close and Save changes to Boot.ini Go to “My Computer” Right click on “D:\” select SEARCH “D:\” Search “All or Part of the File Name” = “hal” Hal.dll may or may not be found in “D:\WINDOWS\System32” either way it’s no good. A working copy of hal.dll WILL be found in “C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386” COPY THAT FILE “D:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386\hal.dll” And Paste it to “D:\WINDOWS\System32” folder; if it asks to overwrite say YES. You may now un-do the changes made to Explorer\tools\folder options to RE-Hide files. Shut Down the computer. Remove the 2nd Drive and reinstall it to its own tower as Master. You should Now be able to boot the computer up as if nothing ever happened. With the exception that it will prompt you to reinstall some drivers, Just say YES and let it auto detect …THEY ARE ALREADY THERE. And will setup fine. This "FIX" assumes that the computer in question HAS at ther very least service pack1, if not service pack 2. If these patches have NOT been installed , I dont belive any such Reserve copy of hal.dll will wxist on the drive! Thanks for reading, Shaun Gray Note: This compilation of information are from various sources. All credit due to its authors. XP Support- 03/16/2005 06:07 AM - Home Page WinXP © Copyright Kelly Theriot MS-MVP(DTS) 2005. All rights reserved.

[jawa500]

In a roundabout route via putting the Windows CD in an office PC I have managed to successfully expand hal.dll and put it in system32 folder. On reboot I now get a similar message for a missing file in system32 for ntoskrnl.exe and that is as far as I can get. Similar to when I got the hal.dll is missing message it said that it failed to scan for windows installations and that I should run chkdsk. Did that but got the same message again. I can change to directories under Windows but any other I get Access Denied. I can see files in the windows and system32 directories. Non-windows directories all seem empty except for directories when I use DIR. Do you think the File Allocation Table been destroyed or that data has really been wiped? Is a restore of Windows on the cards?

[LDTate]

Try this: to fix the problem without losing your most important data:-------- you may repair windows xp by reinstalling main files. the way to do this is using your xp cd and when the chocies appear hit enter to install windows. "DO NOT TYPE R TO GO TO LOAD THE RECOVERY CONSOLE" you will then accept the agreement and then it will ask you Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair. windows will then erase and copy new files to the hard drive. the computer will later boot and when it asks you if you want to boot from the cd dont hit anything just let windows run and theN setup should keep working.

[jawa500]

Just started the repair process. After accepting the agreement there was no repair option, just setup Windows, create and delete partitions options. Were you expecting a 4th option?

[LDTate]

I was hoping it whould have seen a Windows directory installed already.

[jawa500]

OK pity. I now have the option of retaining the present file system or formatting. Is it worth trying with the present file system in the state it might be?

[LDTate]

retaining the present file system

That way you can retreive the data that's there.

[jawa500]

Sorry for being very pedantic here but I overwrite the current windows installation which deletes all user accounts etc rather than installing in another folder.

[LDTate]

Sorry for being very pedantic here but I overwrite the current windows installation which deletes all user accounts etc rather than installing in another folder.

True The main thing is to be able to get the data. You can install in a new Directory if you choose to.

[jawa500]

Install process will run for a while. Once I get it all set up again do you want another Hijackthis log?

[LDTate]

Make sure you have your Anti-Virus program running before going on the internet.
Then pickup any of these programs you don't have. After that then post the HJT log.

If you dont have these three programs I would recommend that you get them. Spywareblaster, Spywareguard and IESPY AD. They will add 1000's of sites to your resticted zone and block some hijacks from happening. I also have a FREE FIREWALL and FREE ANTI VIRUS if you need one.

It is critical to have both a firewall and anti virus to protect your system.