What is hal.dll?

Hal.dll is a hardware abstraction layer that links the physical (hardware) and software components of a computer.

How can I fix an error message saying that hal.dll is missing or corrupt?

The first method rebuilds the boot configuration on your hard drive. If this doesn't work, the second method replaces the hal.dll file on your computer with the one that comes on the XP CD.  Please note that this may be one symptom of a larger, more serious problem.  If you have this error multiple times, or this and other errors, you may want to seek help.

  1. Enter the Recovery Console (instructions here).
  2. Then, type the following and press Enter: bootcfg /rebuild
      You will probably see something like the following:
       Total Identified Windows Installs: 1
       [1] C:\Windows  
      Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
  3. Type Yes (or all) and press Enter
  4. When asked to Enter Load Identifier, type Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition or Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition and press Enter
  5. When asked to Enter OS Load options, type /fastdetect and press Enter
  6. When it is done, type exit and press Enter. Your computer will restart.
  7. If it still does not work, enter the Recovery Console again.
  8. This time, type the following and press Enter after each line: NOTE: make sure to replace "D" with your CD/DVD drive's letter that contains the XP CD
    expand D:\i386\hal.dl_ %systemroot%\System32\hal.dll
    expand D:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ %systemroot%\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
  9. Finally, type chkdsk /r and press Enter to scan your hard drive for errors. This may take a long time to complete.
  10. Again, type exit
  11. If neither method works, please ask for additional support on an online technical support forum.