What can I say, many computer system users are so used to working in the Windows XP environment that they never want to change it to more recent systems. However, the "ekspishka" itself, as well as subsequent versions of Windows, is prone to errors such as: "Cannot start HAL.dll", "File not found", "File damaged or missing", etc. Let's see what you can to do to restore system boot without drastic measures such as a complete reinstall.
What is this file?
If we talk about the file itself, understanding its functioning for an ordinary user will be quite difficult.
In general: in Windows XP, HAL.dll is responsible for the interaction of software and hardware components and represents the so-called layer of software code at the level of hardware abstractions, that is, it hides some aspects of hardware implementation at all levels - from hardware to application programs. This applies to all components present in the system.
So why do strange errors occur when loading the system when “HAL.dll is missing or corrupt” appears on the monitor screen? Windows XP, as one of the aging systems, is the most prone to such crashes.
The main functions of the library
As for the functionality, we can say that this library is a kind of layer that allows not only the user, but any software developer to use application commands to directly access, say, some kind of “iron” component, even without taking into account its brand , name, manufacturer, etc.
In general, this is a universal bridge that allows the program to work on any equipment in a universal mode. To make it clearer: in some ways, the functionality of the HAL.dll library can be compared with the same DirectX by the principle of operation.
Why is the "HAL.dll is missing or corrupt" error (Windows XP)?
In general, there can be many reasons for the appearance of such errors. The most commonplace situations are damage to the hard drive or RAM slots. In this case, you just need to diagnose them.
It goes without saying that the harmful effects of viruses, which can not only change the structure of the file, but even completely delete it from the hard drive, cannot be ruled out.
However, now we will not take such situations into account. We assume that the hard drive is in order, there are no viruses, and the “HAL.dll is missing or corrupt” error (Windows XP) is caused solely due to software failures.
System Restore
First, consider a situation where you can still download the system. Naturally, at the beginning of the system boot, a line may appear on the black screen informing that the Windows component root \ System32 \ HAL.dll was not found (missing or damaged).
The easiest solution may be to boot Windows XP in safe mode, but only with the command line (at the beginning of the boot process, use the F8 key, after which the appropriate section is selected).
After the command prompt appears, you just need to register the combination c: \ windows \ system32 \ restore \ rstrui.exe (system recovery) in it, and then simply follow the instructions on the screen. In many cases, this helps. But what if the message with the line that the Windows boot element root \ System32 \ HAL.dll l is missing appears again and the system does not boot at all?
Fix invalid entries in boot.ini file
Few users know that the download error is not always associated with the library in question. Sometimes this is only a consequence, and the reason lies in the incorrect (incorrect) entries in the boot.ini file, pointing to the volume section where the operating system is located. You can, of course, use some programs for Windows XP (we will list them a bit later), but now let's see what we can do ourselves without their help.
So, for starters, we boot from any installation disc of Windows XP, after setting CD / DVD-ROM as the priority boot device in the BIOS, and then by pressing the "R" key we go to the recovery console.
Now we select the necessary assembly of Windows XP, if necessary, enter the admin password, and then use the bootcfg / rebuild command and press "Enter". After finding a copy of Windows and the incoming request, add it to the boot list (press "Y" and enter the identifier as a modification of Windows XP (Home Edition or Professional), in general, what is installed on the computer).
After that, we reboot and select the boot option with a new source. Only after that it will be possible to find the boot.ini file in the system, open it using the usual Notepad and delete the wrong boot path.
HAL.dll error: console troubleshooting
The above recovery options do not always work. The reason can really be precisely the damage or absence of the file you are looking for, which is located by default on the system drive (most often it is the “C” drive) at the address Windows \ System32 \ HAL.dll.
Here we again need the installation disk and the entrance to the recovery console, as described above. Now our task is to find the original file on the disk and copy it to the system partition of the hard drive. We will make a reservation right away: such actions are applicable exclusively to the Windows XP system, with the G7 and G8 such things do not work.
Let's say the drive we have is marked with the letter "E". The file on disk itself is located in the i386 folder. To make sure that it really is, use the command E: \ I386> dir. Have you found? Perfectly! But why, then, does the file name not match the original, but is designated as HAL.dl_? Just because it is a packaged CAB archive that we need to unzip.
To do this, use the expand e: i386hal.dl_ c: \ windows \ system32 command (with a space before the drive letter “C”). You can, of course, unzip the file and simply onto the system drive, and then copy it to the right place. But why, if you can copy and replace directly? After that, the system should boot in normal mode without any problems.
Best Remedies
However, if such methods of fixing the “HAL.dll is missing or damaged” error (Windows XP) may seem too abstruse for some users, you can use many specialized applications such as Acronis Disk Director, Acronis Recovery Expert, Bootice, and others.
Such programs for Windows XP, in principle, do not differ much from each other, since they need to be downloaded directly from optical media or a flash drive, and they use similar methods in their work. Another thing is that the user does not have to enter specific commands, since the menu in them is completely concretized, and basically they are designed to recover lost or damaged data or even entire logical partitions of the hard drive.
If you have already noticed, all these applications are general type programs, so to speak, for all occasions. Naturally, in something they, for example, will be able to help the inexperienced user. Although it raises legitimate doubts that the ordinary user, not possessing the necessary knowledge, will use them. Unfortunately, most of them, without delving into the essence of the issue, quickly take up the reinstallation of the system. But in vain.
It may happen that during the reinstallation of Windows there will be such errors that the installation will not be completed until the end, and as a result the user will receive a completely inoperative system.
Conclusion
Of course, using information recovery programs is good. But all the same, no one can give a guarantee that the necessary dynamic library file will be completely restored. Therefore, despite the apparent simplicity of working with such applications and their almost complete automation, it is better not to be lazy and use the standard methods of restoring the system load. Let them be more complicated or take more time, but in this case you can be one hundred percent sure that the functionality of Windows XP will be restored completely.
However, in some cases, when the errors of this dynamic library are not the cause, but the result of other software failures, the use of such utilities may be justified. However, if the problem is in the hard drive or in disruption of the RAM, there is nothing to be done. First you have to conduct a full test, and in the most unpleasant case - replace the hardware and install the system, as they say, from scratch. Will have to come to terms with this.