Please help me fix this crappy Windows machine

So I was in the middle of playing a game of Subspace, and all of the sudden... *poof* blue screen about some fatal error. I reboot the computer and hit R like it says to do, but it says it can't fix it, and Bill Gates added, "Fuck you!" So I put in my system recovery CD (no Windows XP CD was included with the machine, only this junk) and it completes. The computer loads up and says:

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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

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So I'm sure with these extremely well thought out instructions on Microsoft's behalf, that it should be an easy matter of locating my hal.dll CD and...oh wait. I checked Microsoft's site and found this but I don't have a Windows XP CD and I have no idea how to get into this console it keeps talking about. It's not in F8 when I press that on bootup, and I don't have any system disk floppies or anything like that...

This all reminds me of why I switched to Mac for my main computing platform in the first place. :curse:

Someone please help... :cry:

Kill yourself and the computer in a coked up, sex fueled, murder suicide.

Find someone with the version of Windows XP that you have and re-run Windows Setup. This can most likely be done by booting from the CD (place the CD in the drive at boot).

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Originally Posted by Schlep

So I put in my system recovery CD (no Windows XP CD was included with the machine, only this junk) and it completes.

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And this is Microsoft's fault that your PC manufacturer included this crappy disc? I'm sure Bill himself was at the plant when it went out laughing both evily and maniacly, "Ha HA HAAA! This one's for you Schlep! I hope your system crashes and NEVER RUNS AGAIN!! HA HA HA!"

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Originally Posted by Schlep

This all reminds me of why I switched to Mac for my main computing platform in the first place.

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What, the Mac isn't good enough for gaming?

I'm not saying that Windows through the years has been the best OS, it's just annoying that every harddrive failure, every driver issue, every poorly written 3rd party piece of crap app gets blamed on the OS - and Bill Gates personally. Do you personally blame Steve Jobs when you go to the store and there's dick for software in the Mac section?

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Originally Posted by Schlep

So I was in the middle of playing a game of Subspace, and all of the sudden... *poof* blue screen about some fatal error. I reboot the computer and hit R like it says to do, but it says it can't fix it, and Bill Gates added, "Fuck you!" So I put in my system recovery CD (no Windows XP CD was included with the machine, only this junk) and it completes. The computer loads up and says:



So I'm sure with these extremely well thought out instructions on Microsoft's behalf, that it should be an easy matter of locating my hal.dll CD and...oh wait. I checked Microsoft's site and found this but I don't have a Windows XP CD and I have no idea how to get into this console it keeps talking about. It's not in F8 when I press that on bootup, and I don't have any system disk floppies or anything like that...

This all reminds me of why I switched to Mac for my main computing platform in the first place. :curse:

Someone please help... :cry:

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Is your PC made by Dell or Compaq or some other big company? If so, it should have come with a base OS disc as well as a recovery CD. If not, that's not Microsoft's fault - they call that "user error" in most instances, since you're the one who bought the computer. I love my Mac, too, but you have to place the blame where it belongs and in this case it isn't Microsoft.

You'll have to get ahold of a Windows XP cd and boot from that, then repair your installation. Any background images you have stay, but if you had any other folders that weren't created by the OS in your Windows folder, they're gonna get hosed by the repair.

THAT part is Microsoft's fault. :)

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Originally Posted by Calliander

I love my Mac, too, but you have to place the blame where it belongs and in this case it isn't Microsoft.

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Cha Ching!!!

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Originally Posted by sphere79

Do you personally blame Steve Jobs when you go to the store and there's dick for software in the Mac section?

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No, I blame dolts like you who went out and bought a PC instead of a Mac. ;)

Somewhere along the line people read into the thread that I cared what anyone thought about my hatred of working with PC's...dunno where they got that idea.

I appreciate the help lhadatt.

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Originally Posted by haohmaru

No, I blame dolts like you who went out and bought a PC instead of a Mac. ;)

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yep, then I keep my windows XP CD protected by about $700 in CASH

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Originally Posted by Schlep

Somewhere along the line people read into the thread that I cared what anyone thought about my hatred of working with PC's...dunno where they got that idea.

I appreciate the help lhadatt.

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Its not a matter of if we thought you cared, its a matter of you being wrong and being corrected.

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Originally Posted by Schlep

Somewhere along the line people read into the thread that I cared what anyone thought about my hatred of working with PC's...dunno where they got that idea.

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Working with PC's, or working with Windows? You know there are other more stable, fully functioning PC OS's.

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Originally Posted by haohmaru

No, I blame dolts like you who went out and bought a PC instead of a Mac. ;)

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Well, first off I didn't BUY it so much as build it. Second of all, if I could run OS X on x86 architecture I would give it a try - but that's Apple's fault. Thier own control over the hardware is what partly makes them more "reliable" in general ( less possible hardware configurations ) and also creates the limited software catalog. Don't blame it on me, blame it on Apple for not either A: Licensing hardware rights to a select group of manufacturers ( therefore lowering costs by creating competition ) or B:Simply releasing an x86 compatible OS. Apple could easily have increased marketshare, and it's not Bill Gates or Microsoft's fault - it's thier own.

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Originally Posted by Wildkat

yep, then I keep my windows XP CD protected by about $700 in CASH

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Youll need that $700.00 cash for repairs and tech support.. :chick:

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Originally Posted by JMET

Its not a matter of if we thought you cared, its a matter of you being wrong and being corrected.

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Being wrong about what?

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Originally Posted by sphere79

Do you personally blame Steve Jobs when you go to the store and there's dick for software in the Mac section?

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Misconception #1 by the Mac confused...

Only Gaming software is not as easily obtained on the Mac as opposed to Windows.

Everything else can be done without a problem or lack of software...

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Originally Posted by Schlep

Being wrong about what?

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Blaming Microsoft and Bill Gates as a catch all excuse for not owning an XP cd and your inabillity to fix your own PC problems...

I dont want this to be a pissing contest because I think your a good guy, however you cant blame them for issues that they have no control over simply because its popular to do so..

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Originally Posted by JMET

Blaming Microsoft and Bill Gates as a catch all excuse for not owning an XP cd and your inabillity to fix your own PC problems...

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I never blamed Microsoft for me not having an XP CD. I blame Microsoft because I shouldn't be in the middle of doing something, and then the OS cuts out with an unrecoverable error that it can't even fix by itself without formatting the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system.

If you think that isn't reason to blame Microsoft, you've used Windows too long.

Sounds like software your running or the hardware you are using has the problem.

XP is fine, its the garbage that you put it on or put in it that causes problems.

But without writing down the exact error you got its hard to troubleshoot it. ;)

The cd should fix the issue..

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Originally Posted by JMET

Sounds like software your running or the hardware you are using has the problem.

XP is fine, its the garbage that you put it on or put in it that causes problems.

But without writing down the exact error you got its hard to troubleshoot it. ;)

The cd should fix the issue..

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All I was running at the time was Subspace. I've not heard of anyone else having any problem like this with it ever. Even if it was somehow related, an OS that lets individual files corrupt, delete or overwrite critical system files and doesn't even have a backup to replace it with already on the system...sucks, imo.

Was this an XP upgrade from win98?

Is it a dual boot?

No, it had XP on it when I bought the computer.

This behavior can occur if any or some of the following conditions are true:
The Default value in the [Boot Loader] section of the Boot.ini file is missing or invalid.
Windows XP is not installed in the location specified in the Boot.ini file.
The Ntoskrnl.exe file is missing or damaged.
The partition path in the Boot.ini file is not set correctly.
General hardware failure.
RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue, use either of the following methods.
Method 1
Edit the Boot.ini file to restore or correct the Default entry and to ensure that the other entries in the [Operating Systems] section of the Boot.ini file point to the appropriate directories.
For additional information about how to edit the Boot.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

289022 HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP


Method 2
Use the Bootcfg utility in the Recovery Console to correct the Boot.ini file:
Use the Windows XP CD-ROM to start your computer.
When you receive the message to press R to repair Windows by using the Recovery Console, press the R key.
Select the Windows installation that you want, and then type the administrator password when prompted.
Type bootcfg /rebuild, and then press ENTER.
When the Windows installation is located, the following instructions are displayed:

Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)
[Type Y in response to this message.]

Enter Load Identifier:
[This is the name of the operating system. Type Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition.]

Enter OS Load options:
[Leave this field blank, and then press ENTER].

After you perform the preceding steps, restart the computer, and then select the first item on the boot menu. This should allow Windows XP to start normally.

After Windows XP has successfully loaded, the Boot.ini can be modified to remove the incorrect entry.
For additional information about how to edit the Boot.ini file, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

289022 HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP


Method 3
Start the computer by using your Windows XP CD-ROM. Press any key to boot from the CD.
After the setup files are finished loading press R to repair using Recovery Console.
When you are in the recovery console, select the installation to log on to (usually number 1), and then press ENTER.
Login to the Administrator account by typing the password for this account, and then press ENTER.
At the recovery console command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

For Uni-Processor systems:

expand cd-rom:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32

For Multi-Processor systems:

expand cd-rom:\i386\ntkrnlmp.ex_ drive:\Windows\system32\ntoskrnl.exe


Cd-rom is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, and drive is the drive letter of the hard disk on which windows is installed.
If you receive a prompt to overwrite the file

If you print that out it may help when you get the CD,

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Originally Posted by JMET

Misconception #1 by the Mac confused...

Only Gaming software is not as easily obtained on the Mac as opposed to Windows.

Everything else can be done without a problem or lack of software...

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Oh I know, I was just commenting on the AMOUNT of software available compared to the PC. Hell, I can pretty much do everything I need to do on a PC with Linux, and for free no less ( I don't know about digital video editing ). I don't really game on PC's anymore, that's what I have consoles for.

Uhm, ok. JMET, how can he do any of that if he doesn't have a working XP install or an actual XP CD? And why are you being so hard on him for the MS hate? He doesn't know the ways of the OEMs, he's just a consumer who got trapped by a company that didn't give him a way to salvage his machine -- and it's perfectly fine for hating MS, since they're the ones that allow the OEMs to pull this crap on people in the first place.

His solution is to find a useable XP CD that he can actually install from. I've given him a couple ways to do this via PM, hopefully he'll be able to obtain one and get his machine running again.

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Originally Posted by JMET

Youll need that $700.00 cash for repairs and tech support.. :chick:

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Well if your dumb enough to pay anything for tech support, while connected to the largest knowledge base in the world, the internet, you deserve what you get.

And repairs, well the only hardware ive ever had to replace due to failures were Fans, Floppys, and CD Drives, and last i checked, they have those in Macs too.

Everything else ive bought was to upgrade...the hardware evolves to fast for me to stay with one,barely upgradable piece of hardware.

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Originally Posted by Lhadatt

-- and it's perfectly fine for hating MS, since they're the ones that allow the OEMs to pull this crap on people in the first place.

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Agreed. But, once a user has an OEM machine up and running the first thing he should do is create a start up disk in case anything goes wrong.

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Originally Posted by JMET

Youll need that $700.00 cash for repairs and tech support.. :chick:

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Shit, just use it as a down payment on a new comp.

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Originally Posted by Wildkat

Well if your dumb enough to pay anything for tech support, while connected to the largest knowledge base in the world, the internet, you deserve what you get.

And repairs, well the only hardware ive ever had to replace due to failures were Fans, Floppys, and CD Drives, and last i checked, they have those in Macs too.

Everything else ive bought was to upgrade...the hardware evolves to fast for me to stay with one,barely upgradable piece of hardware.

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That comment was supposed to soun as contrived and senseless as your own...