Hi everyone. My Dell pc 3.6 ghz 2 gig ram running XP Home crashed. I uninstalled several games ( all the Battlefield 1942's,,, Joint Operations, Medal of Honor, etc ) Then I defragged and then rebooted.Now XP won't start,,,all I get is a black screen with the words.... 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 tried starting in safe mode so I could do a system restore but I get the same message.I also tried starting from the xp disc but computer eventually froze right at the options of reinstalling or recovering or quit.I was gonna try to recover somehow with the disc before it froze.I really didnt know what I was doing just hoping for a miracle.I really dont want to reformat.I run Norton anti virus and Zone Alrm firewall and Webroots spyware and am good at keeping them up to date so I dont think I caught a virus.Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx for trying to help me!

Error Message: Cannot Find \Windows\System32\hal.dll i_XpUser

Check your RAM. Run it for an hour, at least. Overnight is better. Docmem http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3001-2094-1534814.html If your Dell software has a hard drive tester, run it. Otherwise, you can download a diagnostic from the hard drive manufacturer's web site. Sorry, I do not check for private messages

I suspect your Dell is fairly new. Below is from the Dell Manual that came with my 8400 in Feb 05. Look on the back of the PC case for the Diagnostics Lights. Left to right A, B, C, D Green, Yellow, Green, Yellow Indicates: Memory modules are detected, but a memory configuration or compatibility error exists. To access Dell Diagnostics Utilities Turn on (or restart) your computer. 2 When the DELL™ logo appears, press <F12> immediately. If you wait too long and the operating system logo appears, continue to wait until you see the Microsoft® Windows® desktop. Then shut down your computer (see page 63) and try again. 3 When the boot device list appears, highlight Boot to Utility Partition and press <Enter>. 4 When the Dell Diagnostics Main Menu appears, select the test you want to run (see page 55). Option Function Express Test Performs a quick test of devices. This test typically takes 10 to 20 minutes and requires no interaction on your part. Run Express Test first to increase the possibility of tracing the problem quickly. Extended Test Performs a thorough check of devices. This test typically takes an hour or more and requires you to answer questions periodically. Custom Test Tests a specific device. You can customize the tests you want to run. Symptom Tree Lists the most common symptoms encountered and allows you to select a test based on the symptom of the problem you are having. If a problem is encountered during a test, a message appears with an error code and a description of the problem. Write down the error code and problem description and follow the instructions on the screen. If you cannot resolve the error condition, contact Dell (see page 125). NOTE: The Service Tag for your computer is located at the top of each test screen. If you contact Dell, technical support will ask for your Service Tag. 3 If you run a test from the Custom Test or Symptom Tree option, click the applicable tab described in the following table for more information. Tab Function Results Displays the results of the test and any error conditions encountered. Errors Displays error conditions encountered, error codes, and the problem description. Help Describes the test and may indicate requirements for running the test. Configuration Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device. The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information for all devices from system setup, memory, and various internal tests, and it displays the information in the device list in the left pane of the screen. The device list may not display the names of all the components installed on your computer or all devices attached to your computer. Parameters Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings. Close the test screen to return to the Main Menu screen. To exit the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close the Main Menu screen. ------------- Using Dell PC Restore by Symantec Use Dell PC Restore by Symantec only as the last method to restore your operating system. PC Restore restores your hard drive to the operating state it was in when you purchased the computer. Any programs or files added since you received your computer—including data files—are permanently deleted from the hard drive. Data files include documents, spreadsheets, e-mail messages, digital photos, music files, and so on. If possible, back up all data before using PC Restore. NOTICE: Using PC Restore permanently deletes all data on the hard drive and removes any applications or drivers installed after you received your computer. If possible, back up the data before using PC Restore. To use PC Restore: 1 Turn on the computer. During the boot process, a blue bar with www.dell.com appears at the top of the screen. 2 Immediately upon seeing the blue bar, press <Ctrl><F11>. If you do not press <Ctrl><F11> in time, let the computer finish restarting, and then restart the computer again. NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with PC Restore, click Reboot in the following step. 3 On the next screen that appears, click Restore. 4 On the next screen, click Confirm. The restore process takes approximately 6–10 minutes to complete. 5 When prompted, click Finish to reboot the computer. NOTE: Do not manually shut down the computer. Click Finish and let the computer completely reboot. 6 When prompted, click Yes. The computer restarts. Because the computer is restored to its original operating state, the screens that appear, such as the End User License Agreement, are the same ones that appeared the first time the computer was turned on. 7 Click Next. The System Restore screen appears and the computer restarts. 8 After the computer restarts, click OK. I would go with the suggested link by XpUser before any of the above. HTH Bryan

ring Dell, they have great technicians. They spent two hours by phone getting my friends Laptop up and running, they'd rather do that than come out to visit

Dell great technicians (10,000 of them) i_XpUser

Ops the number will swell to 20,000 great technicians i_XpUser