My friends computer hasn't been working so I told him I'd talk to you guys and give it a shot. I'm not even pos. of his OS. Either XP or ME. I know that doesn't help ;-) But his problem is he can't boot into windows. He recently told me he tried to restore his HP through the boot up process. He said it worked, but then gave him this error: system32/hal.dll Damaged or corrupt Obviously he has a bad system file, but what can be done to fix this? Thank you for any responses and sorry so vague. Thank you. Nevin

We're Windows XP. You need to first determine if the OS is XP or ME. The reason is because XP and ME are two different animals that have nothing in common by way of the kernal. If its ME, go to our Windows ME Forum. i_XpUser

You need to "reset" the computer's master bios. That means you have to take it to a shop or return it to the factory. The process can be performed with a suitable source of low frequency radiation (This is called "flashing" the BIOS) I use the emitter in a microwave oven for this. You must open the computer and remove the motherboard so as to ensure complete exposure to the radiation. Place the board on a non-conductive surface and flash it on full power for about 20 seconds (the exact time varies with different wattages, but 20 seconds will do it even with an old 500 watt emitter) When this process is complete, replace the board and power up the computer. Go through the restore process again and it will work first time.

HAL.DLL is a WinXP file. If his HP recovery software doesn't work, he probably should contact HP.

Sorry about that, but the idea of getting you to remove your board and stick it in the microwave seems quite funny. If you have access to a windows XP install disc you should perform a complete reinstall of XP, when it comes to asking you what disk to install on, you should delete ALL existing partitions, and choose to install on the unpartitioned disk. When it asks you what file system to format with, choose NTFS. It is odd that the HP recovery software didnt work, this problem usually occurs with a software error and is usually fixed with a restore. DO NOT put your motherboard in the microwave. If the XP disc does not work, you may have a problem with the hard drive.