XP Won't Boot

[Ghostlady]

I am working on my son's old XP. I can't get it to boot. I get a missing or corrupted file error for "Windows Root>\system32\hal.dll
Reinstall a copy of the above file"

I've googled and seen articles about inserting the Windows XP install CD. I did that once and got an error. Now every time I try again it won't boot off the CD.

[draclvr]

Can I assume you are just trying to start with the CD in the disk tray? Have you gone into the BIOS and changed the boot order so the CD/DVD drive is first? If not, then the boot order is still set on the HDD and trying to boot from there.

[Ghostlady]

Yes the CD Is in the disk tray and I did go into the Bios and change the boot order. Since I posted this I’ve did some more reading on it. I have gone to Amazon and purchased a repair boot Disc for $12. It’s worth the headache at this point.

[draclvr]

That was going to be my next suggestion! If it won't boot after changing the boot order in the BIOS, the disk probably isn't going to help you. I've seen the repair disks at Amazon and they are a bargain if you're having problems.

[Ghostlady]

[RaytheBear]

Have you tried starting your XP in safe mode? (I don't remember if XP has a safe mode, has been a long time). If there is a safe mode and you can get it started, then maybe you can replace the corrupted file while in safe mode.

[Ghostlady]

Have you tried starting your XP in safe mode? (I don't remember if XP has a safe mode, has been a long time). If there is a safe mode and you can get it started, then maybe you can replace the corrupted file while in safe mode.

Hi Ray, yes I have done that. XP has a safe mode (pf8). I got into safe mode and tried multiple options but none will reboot the machine with the disk. I am going to open the machine up tonight and vacuum the inside. It looks filled with dust and maybe that is hindering the disc drive from spinning properly.

[RaytheBear]

Ok, but what I meant was that if possible, you replace the
Windows Root>\system32\hal.dll file while in the Safe mode with a good file that you copied from a reliable source or directly from your CD. Again, I know it has been a long time for me and XP, but I do remember being able to do similar fixes.

[Ghostlady]

Maybe, I don't know the language to tell it to do that though. I do have a flash drive if maybe I can find the file.

[draclvr]

Operative words being "reliable source." These things are notorious for packaging with things you don't want.

[middletoe]

The hal.dll file is probably right where it's supposed to be.
Chances are the boot.ini file is telling XP that XP is installed on the wrong hard drive (or partition). This can computers that are set up to dual boot or multi-boot. Say you bought a laptop that came with Vista installed, and you don't want Vista on a laptop because it takes all year to start up. You successfully install XP on a 2nd hard drive (if you get a 17" laptop this may be an option). The XP installation successfully detects a different version of Windows on the other hard drive, and at first it all seems to work fine. Then you get a weird message about a missing file. Except you can boot to a different operating system (off a hard drive or off a CD) and you can see the file is not missing. That means the problem is in the boot.ini file -- it's pointing at the wrong hard drive (or at the wrong partition) for XP. Even if there is a hal.dll file on the Vista partition, it will be the one for Vista and not the one that XP is asking for.

Instead of a missing file, the problem is most likely to be in the boot.ini. The boot.ini file shows how your Boot Menu is displayed.

https://neosmart.net/wiki/invalid-boot-ini-file/

This site shows a sample boot.ini
https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000492.htm#menu

[boot loader]
timeout=5
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect

If you installed a 2nd version of Windows on the computer yourself, you could probably figure out how to edit the boot.ini file. Your boot.ini would have feweer lines, and whould produce options for both XP and whatever other operating system you have installed.

This website shows the commands to rebuild your boot.ini file.
https://neosmart.net/wiki/rebuilding-bo ... OTINI_file

bootcfg /rebuild
exit

[Ghostlady]

I was playing around with this again and there is no way I can make it boot from the CD drive. When booting up here is what I am getting:
Invalid configuration information - please run setup program
Performing automatic IDE configuration
Alert system battery voltage is low

DIgging around in some old Dell forums I've seen numerous posts with people getting these same errors. They changed their CMOS battery and it seemed to work for them. So I will try that next.

[draclvr]

Thank heavens for middletoe with more info that I could possibly come up with. It sure would be nice if something as simple as the CMOS battery would do the trick. Since it's an old computer, it's sure possible.

[Ghostlady]

I got the battery changed and that eliminated the error for low power. But it did not fix the problem of not being able to boot from the CD. I have the original XP install disc and now 2 repair discs but none of them will take off on the boot. You can see it reading the first CD drive, then the second CD drive, then the floppy drive but then switches to the hard drive and I get the continuous error about the hal.dll file. I never created a second partition to load any other software, unless Dell would have done that on a trouble call, but I don't really think so. I took pictures with my camera of the setup screens. Do you see anything wrong? Later today, I'll also get a picture of the boot up after it has been unplugged for awhile because that gets a different screen. It seems to have to be unplugged for a while before it does a more internal boot, for lack of better words.

[draclvr]

Brain is just wandering randomly here. Dell may have created a separate partition for a recovery option.

Is there a chance the disk drive itself has a problem?

Have you tried changing the Primary Drive 1 to ON?