Hello recently i wiped my hard drive,when i booted up the computer it had a error message saying "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 have a copy of the os disk, and tried to set it to boot to get to Windows XP Recovery Console. but it wont auto boot from the Cd i set the bios to do this, but no luck any help would be appreciated thanks happy holidays

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314477 http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findb...

What problems were you having that made you think you needed to wipe the drive? emachines computers frequently have problems with their power supply, especially if it's a BESTEC model. If the power supply is failing, all sorts of things may not work properly. That includes your optical drive, floppy drive, USB, and possibly the hard drive, may not work properly. Failing power supplies are common and can cause your symptoms. Check your PS. See response 4 in this: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... "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." You can't get that message from a hard drive that has actually been completely wiped - that message is generated by the XP (or 2000) operating system - if you wiped the drive completely it has no data on it. Did you wipe the whole hard drive, or just the C partition? If you just wiped the C partition, or both partitions on the original drive, the MBR (master boot record) XP made is probably still there, and the message may be because of that. When you are trying to boot from a regular Windows CD, or a Recovery disk, if the computer is having any problems reading the CD, or if there are any problems with the computer reading it's ram, you will get messages about files being missing or corrupted that are FALSE. The laser lens may be dirty. Try using a laser lens cleaning CD in the drive. Have you changed which ram you have installed recently? If you HAVE, it may not be 100% compatible with your computer. If you still have the ram that worked fine before, try removing the new ram, installing the old ram. See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules, and making sure the modules are properly seated: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... "i have a copy of the os disk" If you want to restore XP MCE using a regular CD, there is no such thing - you must use the OEM MCE 2 CD set, or a copy of it - XP MCE does not fit on one CD - only the first CD is bootable. MCE will not install properly from just the first CD. If you burned a copy of a regular Windows CD, it is NOT bootable unless you or whoever used "Disk at Once" or similar to copy the entire original CD. The *.img file that makes it bootable is invisible to Windows and most programs - coping only the data contents you can see will result in a Windows CD that works fine otherwise, but it's not bootable. If you made a copy of a regular Windows CD, try it in another computer - if it won't boot in the other computer when a CD or optical drive is in the boot order before all hard drives, and if other bootable CDs work in the same drive, you have made a non-bootable CD. A CD-R copy will work in virtually any optical drive, but a CD-RW or other type of burnable disk may not read properly, and/or not be recognized as bootable, in a drive it was not burned in. Brand name computers do not normally come with a regular Windows CD. Sometimes they come with one Recovery disk, specific to the model, but it has to be used along with the intact unaltered orginal data on the second partition that is always on a brand name computer on the orginal hard drive when the system still has it's original brand name software installation. Most computers these days, and for some time previous, DO NOT come with ANY Recovery disk, but they may come with a disk with drivers etc. on it - that is usually not bootable, and it can't be used to restore the original emachines software installation. You are usually supposed to use (a) brand name supplied program(s) already there in the original brand name software installation in your Programs list to make a single Recovery disk, which can be used along with the intact and unaltered data contents of the orginal second partition, and/or a Recovery Disk set, which can be used if the second partition data has been altered or is no longer there, or if the hard drive has been replaced with a blank one, while Windows is still working properly. If you want to be able to restore the orginal emachines software installtion, if the original second partition's data is not intact, if you have not made a Recovery disk set, you might be able to order one from the emachines web site for your exact model - if you CAN get one, it's usually much cheaper than even a regular OEM XP Home CD. If you can't get a Recovery disk set, if there is a official Microsoft label on the outside of the case somewhere with a Product Key on it, your OEM licence allows you to use that Product Key with the same version of XP on a regular Windows CD that was in the original emachines software installation, and it's okay to use a copy of a bootable Windows CD - however, if you want to use MCE you must use the OEM MCE 2 CD set, or a copy of it - if you install another version of 32 bit XP, the Product Key should work with that too, but I don't know for sure. "it wont auto boot from the Cd i set the bios to do this, but no luck" The computer should boot from a bootable CD, if it is actually bootable, as long as a CD or optical drive is listed in the boot order in the bios. The CD or optical drive DOES NOT have to be listed first in the boot order - it just has to be listed before any hard drive(s). However, in all the bioses I have tried it in, if you list a floppy drive after a CD or optical drive in the boot order, a bootable floppy in the floppy drive is not recognized as bootable. If you have more than one optical drive, some bioses will only find and boot a bootable CD if it's in the first optical drive the bios detects. In that case, try inserting the CD in the other optical drive(s), or find where the optical drives are listed in the bios, usually in the boot order settings or in a list near the boot order settings, and make the optical drive you want to boot a bootable CD from first in the list. The computer's bios MUST recognize both the optical drive and the hard drive - if it does, it's usually obvious in the bios that it does, and you may see the models of the drives listed on the first black screen as you boot the computer, though that may be obscured by a logo (graphical) screen. If the optical drive and/or hard drive are IDE connected.... It is common to un-intentionally damage IDE data cables, especially while removing them - the 80 wire ones are more likely to be damaged. What usually happens is the cable is ripped at either edge and the wires there are either damaged or severed, often right at a connector or under it's cable clamp there, where it's hard to see - if a wire is severed but it's ends are touching, the connection is intermittant, rather than being reliable. Another common thing is for the data cable to be separated from the connector contacts a bit after you have removed a cable - there should be no gap between the data cable and the connector - if there is press the cable against the connector to eliminate the gap. 80 wire data cables are also easily damaged at either edge if the cable is sharply creased at a fold in the cable. Try another data cable if in doubt.

Thanks tubesandwire the problem was with my os disk i havd found a copy of my windows xp installation and reinstalled everything thank merry christmas

I'm (we're) glad to hear you solved you problem. Merry Christmas to you too. If your model has a BESTEC power supply, it is a very good idea to replace it.