xp will not start

[Zeppelin]

Hi all
Hope someone can help, please.

When I turn on my Toshiba satellite laptop it goes to the black screen and says 'file is missing or corrupt. <windows root>\system32\hal.dll. Reinstall a copy of the above file'

Seen similar problems in search, so tried tapping F8 but that didn't work also had a look at Microsofts 'help' page, alas xp disc does not come with the computer.

So is it possible to locate this file on my desktop and copy it the laptop???
Or are there any other solutions please.

Thanks for any help

[ZH875]

Have a look at

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000490.htm

or do a search for 'hal.dll' in yahoo etc.

ZH

[Zeppelin]

Thanks ZH

Spent many an hour looking at sites on the web, and it seems that unless you have a xp disc supplied with the computer you are in a pile of poo

I have got the laptop into dos and it says that 'hal.dll' file is there so I am assuming that the file is corrupted.

So my question now is how do you open this file in dos and can I do the same with my desktop and copy the file word for word to the laptop?

[Bushfiva]

If HAL is there, it may be boot.ini that is corrupted. Have a quick gander at that, too.

[Cypherus]

Start pressing the F8 key as it boots up then select the option for

SAFE MODE WITH COMMAND PROMPT.

Once it settles down again you should be presented with a black screen with a flashing cursor. similar to this 'CWINDOWS>

Enter the following at that cursor: FIXBOOT and press enter then answer 'Y' to the request to continue, the boot.ini file will be redrawn for you.

Once completed you MUST type 'EXIT at the prompt and press enter again to restart the laptop.

Method 2:

Borrow any XP disc, start it then follow the directions too the 'Repair console'. instruction on how to use the console for repairing the Boot.ini file can be found here: http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_rec.htm
But in short once you have the command prompt up typing the same command, FIXBOOT will result in a repair too the Boot.ini file.

Once you have it up and running again suggest you get hold of an XP boot disc or make one, I use Norton Ghost for this task, and put it away for later, handy to have in an emergency.

[Zeppelin]

Thanks for the replies chaps

Unfortunatly still no joy- tried the FIXBOOT thing but it just kept coming up with bad command or words to that effect.

So it looks like a trip to the comuter repair man

[Bushfiva]

Fixboot's only available from the recovery console. It rewrites the partition boot sector. Bootcfg (also recovery console only) rewrites boot.ini.