Recovery Console missing hal.dll

[Allan]

Just ran into a problem I haven't seen before. I run XP on my primary office system and have the Recovery Console installed as a boot option. It's been a while since I booted to the RC, but when I attempted to yesterday (to run a semiannual checkdisk) I got a message that the RC could not load because \system32\hal.dll is missing or damaged. However, the system boots just fine to Windows.

The file is, of course, there. But I compared it with the file on my slipstreamed SP3 cd and it is a different size and date. The date of the file on the hd (4/13/08) is the same as a bunch of other system files and the date of the file on the cd (4/14/08) is also the same as many other system files. The sizes are different (131kb vs 102kb) and, interestingly, the file on the hd is in all caps (HAL.DLL) - no other file in the folder is all caps. The boot.ini file appears to be correct in all aspects.

I reinstalled the RC with the same results.

I'm guessing that the RC is looking for the version on the cd, but I can't imagine how or when it was changed to the 4/13 copy and I'm hesitant to replace the version on the hd with the one on the cd because the only thing not working is the RC, and I can get there by booting to the CD and choosing the first repair option. The only thing different is that about 6 months ago I did some re-partitioning (added space to the system partition), but I've used the RC since that time. To the best of my knowledge there is nothing else new or different that should be causing this.

Normally I wouldn't even post this, but the week between Xmas and New Year Day is so slow on support forums I figured it might give us something to work on .

Thoughts? Thanks.

[steven2805]

Ok what to do is make a backup of the HAL.DLL file and then replace it with the CD copy and review results. I doubt it will have negative results but if it does you just us your back up.

As for why it happend am guessing it's corrupt as I have seen issues similiar to this in other computers 

[Allan]

Thanks, and of course I understand that is an option. More interested in how something like this happens. The file is not corrupt, it is simply a different version from what is on the cd.

[Salmon Trout]

Thanks, and of course I understand that is an option. More interested in how something like this happens. The file is not corrupt, it is simply a different version from what is on the cd.

The hal.dll is a kernel space file.

"The HAL implements a number of functions that are implemented in different ways by different hardware platforms, which in this context, refers mostly to the Chipset. Other components in the operating system can then call these functions in the same way on all platforms, without regard for the actual implementation. For example, responding to an interrupt is quite different on a machine with an APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller) than on one without. The HAL abstracts such differences so that nothing outside the HAL need be concerned with them." (Wikipedia)

On x86 systems there are several different HAL files on the installation disk. The installer selects the right one for the hardware it finds. One is called "Hal.dll" and is the standard one, but there are a number of other Hal files which the installer may select, renaming to "Hal.dll". Thus the Hal.dll on your installed system may well differ from the file of that name on the install CD. On x86-64 and Itanium platforms there is just one possible Hal.dll for each CPU architecture.

"Standard PC," Non-ACPI PIC HAL (Hal.dll)

    * Standard PC


"MPS Uniprocessor PC," Non-ACPI APIC UP HAL (Halapic.dll)

    * Standard PC
    * MPS Uniprocessor
    * MPS Multiprocessor


"MPS Multiprocessor PC," Non-ACPI APIC MP HAL (Halmps.dll)

    * Standard PC
    * MPS Multiprocessor


"Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC," ACPI PIC HAL (Halacpi.dll)

    * Standard PC
    * Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC


"ACPI Uniprocessor PC," ACPI APIC UP HAL (Halaacpi.dll)

    * Standard PC
    * Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC
    * ACPI Uniprocessor
    * ACPI Multiprocessor


"ACPI Multiprocessor PC," ACPI APIC MP HAL (Halmacpi.dll)

    * Standard PC
    * Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC
    * ACPI Multiprocessor
    * MPS Multiprocessor

A couple of references

Microsoft Windows library files

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows_library_files#Hal.dll

HAL options after Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Setup

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309283

[Allan]

Good post ST, thanks. On the Windows cd there is only one hal.dl_ file (and it's in the \i386 folder where you'd expect to find it). But still, it doesn't explain why the installed RC says hal.dll is not in \windows\system32 all of a sudden (keep in mind the RC worked fine a couple of months ago). I still think it is looking for the version on the cd, which was probably on the hd (or the RC wouldn't have worked before) but now is a different version. Hope that makes sense to you

[Salmon Trout]

The "missing or corrupt hal.dll" message can be seen when there is actually no damage to that file. The cause can be a variety of things such as hard disk damage (especially boot sector), corrupted boot.ini file, filesystem corruption, or failed or bad Windows Update.

[Allan]

Yes, I understand. But remember that Windows boots just fine and I've verified the boot.ini is good. None of the usual explanations seem to apply in this case. Hey - if was easy I wouldn't have posted

[Salmon Trout]

Did you do a chkdsk lately?

[Allan]

I did this morning. That's why I was trying to get into the RC. I used the CD instead.