# Hal.dll missing :(

**URL:** <https://forum.kirupa.com/t/hal-dll-missing/255115>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [March 19, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/hal-dll-missing/255115 "2008-03-19T08:09:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bird\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bird\_E](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Bird_E)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/hal-dll-missing/255115/1 "2008-03-19T08:09:06Z")

</div>

Hey there, hoping someone will be able to help me.

So I hard reset my laptop (i usually skip checkdisk requests because that takes ages) and today I havent been able to log in. I’m presented with a black screen asking if i want to start in safe mode or start windows normally. It repeatedly loops this and I’ve tried all the options to no avail. It says:

“Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:  
\<Windows root\>\system32\hal.dll  
Please re-install a copy of the above file”

i’ve tried the following sites and read up their suggestions

> **[How to Restore Hal.dll From the Windows XP CD](https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-restore-hal-dll-from-the-windows-xp-cd-2624517)**
>
> How to restore the hal.dll file from the Windows XP setup disc, one of several possible solutions to hal.dll errors in Windows XP.

  
[http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?hal](http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?hal)

I’ve booted up from my windows XP upgrade disk and gone into the repair prompt, going into the windows XP recovery console.

It has NOT asked me which Windows installation to access.  
([http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole\_4.htm](http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole_4.htm))

Nor has it then gone on to ask me for the administrator password  
([http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole\_5.htm](http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole_5.htm))

instead i’m at this stage, but with the line reading  
([http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole\_6.htm](http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ss/rconsole_6.htm))

```auto
C:\>

```

instead of

```auto
C:\WINDOWS>

```

Since the circumstances havent changed after multiple attempts, i go ahead and try and put the follow command in each time-

```auto
**expand *c*:\i386\hal.dl_ *d:\windows*\system32\hal.dll**

```

where c: is my dvd drive and d: is my harddrive. Copying the file over from the CD,

it bounces me back an ‘Access denied’

Please help!