This is on my other computer. Please guide me through as much as possible as I am not computer-smart. After restarting the computer one day, a message has been popping up at the startup. It says........... Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corupt. \System32\hal.dll Please re-install a copy of the above file.................... What can I do to fix this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(the hal.dll issue) Error Message: Windows Could Not Start Because the Following File Is Missing or Corrupt... http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;320252

I still do not understand. My computer can not start up at all. Can you please guide me through it?

Been there -- just recently. HAL.DLL is a key system file that governs just how your computer identifies and deals with all it's hardware. Seems, in order to gain access to the harddrive (HD), you have to boot to "DOS", then go into the HD at C:\i386\drivers and copy the hal.dll file to the c:\windows\system32 folder. Reboot and all should be well. Buttttt!!! If your HD is setup using NTFS (not FAT32)system, then you're stopped flat in your tracks, cuz there is no easy way to access your NTFS HD in DOS! At least that was the case for me. There's some free stuff around that will permit you to VIEW the HD but not add or change anything. There is one for hundreds of bux that will give you access to make changes. In the end, I took my laptop to my favorite techie. He has the means to read and access NTFS files. Took him a literally a minute to put things straight. Since then have purchased TrueImage 6. Now have entire HD saved on CD's. Next time I'll just reinstall the image. Another possiblilty: If you're lucky enough to have a full install Xp CD disk, you might try starting by selecting boot via CD. You'll have to press the esc key to get to this selection in many computers. Once you have the CD started, you can go thru setup, but select REPAIR not install or whatever. Don't have a disk so not quite sure. Best of luck, Bob

I found a web site which has a lot of dll files. I have a bad one but mine is not on the list. www.dll-files.com/dllindex.shtml

I wrote a web page that describes how to recover from this problem in a step-by-step novice format. By following my instructions you will at least be able to start your machine and get any important data off of it. http://miscmail.home.mchsi.com/xpfix/xp.htm i don't follow up on my posts, so if you have a question: igetjunk@mail.com stootze