Troubleshooting Hal.dll error
A hal.dll error appears shortly after the system boots. This is usually caused by a damaged, moved or deleted Hal.dll file. However it could also be caused by deleted or damaged boot.ini file.
Troubleshooting the Hal.dll error
The following steps may be used to troubleshoot the Hal.dll error:
1. Restart your computer; it could just be a one-time error.
2. Check the boot order and make sure your first boot device in the BIOS setting is set to the main hard drive.
3. Use your Windows XP installation CD to run system restore.
4. Create a new boot.ini file.
To do this, enter the Windows XP Recovery Console using the Windows Installation CD and enter the command “bootcfg /rebuild”. Enter ‘Y’ on the prompt that says “Add installation to boot list?”. Enter ‘Windows XP Professional’ on the next prompt that says “Enter load identifier: ”. On the last prompt “Enter OS Load options: ”, enter /Fastdetect. Reboot your computer.
5. Create a new boot sector.
To do this, enter the Windows XP Recovery Console using the Windows Installation CD and enter the command “fixboot”. This creates a new partition boot sector for the current system partition.
6. Restore the Hal.dll file using the Windows Installation CD.
To do this, enter the Windows XP Recovery Console using the Windows Installation CD and enter the following command:
expand d:i386hal.dl_ c:windowssystem32
Here the letter ‘d’ represents the drive on which the installation CD is mounted and the letter ‘c’ represents the Windows XP installation drive.
Press ‘Y’ when prompted to overwrite.
7. Recover data from bad sectors on your hard drive.
To do this, enter the Windows XP Recovery Console using the Windows Installation CD and enter the command “chkdsk”. This scans your hard drive and recovers any readable data.
8. Repair the Windows XP Installation using your installation CD.
9. Perform a clean installation of Windows XP using your installation CD.


