system32hal.dll

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

Number 1: Be sure your CD for XP Home edition is the full retail CD. If it is an OEM please tell us. Else, if it is just a manufacturer's Recovery CD, then it's another issue.

You need the retail or full OEM CD in order to do a repair install, in the hopes of fixing your existing XP setup.
Please look at the label on the CD, and post back. The retail MS CD will explicitly state "Microsoft Windows XP", will have a Version number, the MS logo, plus all sorts of holograms.

Post back whether you has Service pack 1 or service pack 2 already on this system, and whether you have offline (CD/DVD) backups of this system.


Following is the Repair Install scenario.
Only if you have a "full" XP CD ----
The object of this exercise is to do an in-place upgrade or an in-place installation for purposes of "repair".
It needs to go to the same partition as before , and the same directory as before.

Usually for example XP is on C drive and is on folder/directory \Windows or \WINNT.

Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. You do that from the pc BIOS setup screen. You specify CDROM as the first drive to boot from.

Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD-ROM drive, and then restart your pc.

When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your
screen, press a key to boot pc from the XP CD.

When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen,
press ENTER:
To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do NOT select this option.

On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 function key to agree to it.

Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP (in your case, the one you wish to repair) is selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair XP.

Follow the instructions on the screen.

--
Maurice N
MVP Windows - Shell / User
-----

elreno wrote:
> I am having major problems with my computer. We have xp Home. It first
> started with the icons and taskbar disappearing which I now know by
> reading the other messages I had a virus. My husband and I started
> messing with the thing not really knowing what we were doing. All of
> a sudden I losy my internet connection (all icons disappeared in the
> network connections) Then we started getting "system32\hall.dll file
> is missing or corrupted please reinstall". Nothing happens Windows
> won't load or anything. I get as far as the Intell Screen I can hit
> F8 open those screens I inserted the XP Home Edition disk so i can
> boot from it. The computer will restart and go to a screen prompting
> me to "press any key to boot from cd" I have pressed every single key
> on my keyboard and nothing happens. The computer will not boot from
> the cd. Also I was able to go into BIOS and change the settings to
> boot from CD first. If anyone can help I would sure appreciate it.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support (More info?)

First thanks for responding.
The CD is Full Retail Xp Home Edition. All the holograms are there.
I have the service pack 1 never did the download for 2. I have no backup
cd/dvd.

I inserted the xp cd a couple of days ago in hopes of repairing the damaged
file, lost taskbar and desk top icons. The installation would hang and
wouldn't completely install. I then decided to cut back on the programs
loading during start up and had cancelled the setup XP in the MSConfig. This
is where the problems really began.
Windows will not load. The cd will not load. I changed the setting in the
BIOS.
As far as I can get with it is "press any key to boot from cd" any key will
not work.
I tried every key on my keyboard. I have tried everything you mentioned. I
have no idea what to try next. Aside from throwing it out in the yard. Any
more suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


"Maurice N ~ MVP" wrote:

> Number 1: Be sure your CD for XP Home edition is the full retail CD. If it is an OEM please tell us. Else, if it is just a manufacturer's Recovery CD, then it's another issue.
>
> You need the retail or full OEM CD in order to do a repair install, in the hopes of fixing your existing XP setup.
> Please look at the label on the CD, and post back. The retail MS CD will explicitly state "Microsoft Windows XP", will have a Version number, the MS logo, plus all sorts of holograms.
>
> Post back whether you has Service pack 1 or service pack 2 already on this system, and whether you have offline (CD/DVD) backups of this system.
>
>
> Following is the Repair Install scenario.
> Only if you have a "full" XP CD ----
> The object of this exercise is to do an in-place upgrade or an in-place installation for purposes of "repair".
> It needs to go to the same partition as before , and the same directory as before.
>
> Usually for example XP is on C drive and is on folder/directory \Windows or \WINNT.
>
> Configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM drive. You do that from the pc BIOS setup screen. You specify CDROM as the first drive to boot from.
>
> Insert your Windows XP CD into your CD-ROM drive, and then restart your pc.
>
> When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message is displayed on your
> screen, press a key to boot pc from the XP CD.
>
> When you see the following message displayed on the Welcome to Setup screen,
> press ENTER:
> To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.
>
> At this point an option to press R to enter the Recovery Console is displayed. Do NOT select this option.
>
> On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 function key to agree to it.
>
> Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP (in your case, the one you wish to repair) is selected in the box, and then press the R key to repair XP.
>
> Follow the instructions on the screen.
>
> --
> Maurice N
> MVP Windows - Shell / User
> -----
>
> elreno wrote:
> > I am having major problems with my computer. We have xp Home. It first
> > started with the icons and taskbar disappearing which I now know by
> > reading the other messages I had a virus. My husband and I started
> > messing with the thing not really knowing what we were doing. All of
> > a sudden I losy my internet connection (all icons disappeared in the
> > network connections) Then we started getting "system32\hall.dll file
> > is missing or corrupted please reinstall". Nothing happens Windows
> > won't load or anything. I get as far as the Intell Screen I can hit
> > F8 open those screens I inserted the XP Home Edition disk so i can
> > boot from it. The computer will restart and go to a screen prompting
> > me to "press any key to boot from cd" I have pressed every single key
> > on my keyboard and nothing happens. The computer will not boot from
> > the cd. Also I was able to go into BIOS and change the settings to
> > boot from CD first. If anyone can help I would sure appreciate it.
>