missing hal.dll xp on hd

I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but now if
I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the xp disk
because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall the
file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my files
that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?

Chris

You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the Vista
boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying the
following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on it.
ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries on
the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where XP is
located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up. IDE
SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition number
of which drive.

"Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
>I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but now
>if
> I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the xp
> disk
> because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall
> the
> file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my
> files
> that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
>
> Chris

I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The options listed
on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft Windows
Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that the
partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im guessing that
has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard drive is an
ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original two that
were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the recovery
partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the third now
is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C: drive but
after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the C: drive.
I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the install
may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers but I am
definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick walk
through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.

Thanks a lot
Chris

"John Barnes" wrote:

> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the Vista
> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying the
> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on it.
> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries on
> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where XP is
> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up. IDE
> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition number
> of which drive.
>
> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but now
> >if
> > I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the xp
> > disk
> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall
> > the
> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my
> > files
> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
> >
> > Chris
>
>
>

Hi Chris :-)

You might take a look at the information here and see if it will help:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_haldll_missing.htm
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how...ing_or_cor.htm

Your file may be corrupt, you might also try downloading a new file from one
of these sources. Be sure it is for the same Windows version you have.
http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?hal
http://www.5starsupport.com/info/dll.htm


Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
>I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but now
>if
> I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the xp
> disk
> because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall
> the
> file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my
> files
> that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
>
> Chris

Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition, Vista on
the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
You have 1 IDE drive
You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier version
Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has the
Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini files on
either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini file
and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if I
understand your setup. Get your information from disk management. (control
panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the repair
partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe side.
They usually are available for under $10.

"Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
> I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The options
> listed
> on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft Windows
> Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that the
> partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im guessing
> that
> has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard drive is
> an
> ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original two
> that
> were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the recovery
> partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the third
> now
> is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C: drive but
> after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the C:
> drive.
> I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
> install
> may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers but I
> am
> definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick walk
> through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
>
> Thanks a lot
> Chris
>
> "John Barnes" wrote:
>
>> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the Vista
>> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying
>> the
>> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on
>> it.
>> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries on
>> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where XP
>> is
>> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up. IDE
>> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
>> number
>> of which drive.
>>
>> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
>> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but
>> >now
>> >if
>> > I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
>> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the
>> > xp
>> > disk
>> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall
>> > the
>> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my
>> > files
>> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
>> >
>> > Chris
>>
>>
>>

The xp partition seems to be the active partition and from what it looks like
is the 2nd partition of 3(they aren't numbered in the computer management).
The vista partition looks like the 3rd partition and seems to contain the
vista boot information. The other files when I search for them are on the D:
drive which is the xp partition, but when i searched boot.ini it only found a
backup file on the D: named boot.ini.backup, but i think that is the file
because it contains the boot information for the 2nd partition. Also that
means it should be correct in being the 2nd partition. So what it looks like
is the empty partition is the 1st one the xp partition is the 2nd one and the
vista partition is the 3rd one. Should copying those files to the root folder
of vista fix the problem, and what is the folder that actually contains the
information used to boot with vista? I found a few folders that seemed to
contain boot information so I don't know exactly which folder to copy them to.

"John Barnes" wrote:

> Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition, Vista on
> the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
> You have 1 IDE drive
> You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier version
> Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has the
> Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini files on
> either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini file
> and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if I
> understand your setup. Get your information from disk management. (control
> panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
> With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
> I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the repair
> partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe side.
> They usually are available for under $10.
>
> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
> > I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The options
> > listed
> > on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft Windows
> > Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that the
> > partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im guessing
> > that
> > has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard drive is
> > an
> > ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original two
> > that
> > were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the recovery
> > partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the third
> > now
> > is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C: drive but
> > after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the C:
> > drive.
> > I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
> > install
> > may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers but I
> > am
> > definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick walk
> > through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
> >
> > Thanks a lot
> > Chris
> >
> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >
> >> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the Vista
> >> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying
> >> the
> >> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on
> >> it.
> >> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries on
> >> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where XP
> >> is
> >> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up. IDE
> >> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
> >> number
> >> of which drive.
> >>
> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
> >> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but
> >> >now
> >> >if
> >> > I try to start xp it says something like <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> >> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have the
> >> > xp
> >> > disk
> >> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can reinstall
> >> > the
> >> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing my
> >> > files
> >> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
> >> >
> >> > Chris
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>

If you are lucky, restoring the boot.ini to the drive with the ntldr and
ntdetect.com files on it will give you a boot. Just to save steps, I would
also copy all three files onto the root of the Vista drive.
You put all files on the root of the drives. Nothing goes into the Vista
boot file.
That you got the error you got indicates it is looking to the right place
for the ntldr file but couldn't complete the process.

If you only have the Vista boot file on the 3rd partition and you are
booting into Vista, that must be the active partition (should be labeled
'system' in disk management)

Let me know what the results are as it may require 1 more step of
downloading VistaBootPro and adding a legacy system entry there.

"Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2AF3550C-14BA-4B5B-8F61-C5E70392FFDB@microsoft.com...
> The xp partition seems to be the active partition and from what it looks
> like
> is the 2nd partition of 3(they aren't numbered in the computer
> management).
> The vista partition looks like the 3rd partition and seems to contain the
> vista boot information. The other files when I search for them are on the
> D:
> drive which is the xp partition, but when i searched boot.ini it only
> found a
> backup file on the D: named boot.ini.backup, but i think that is the file
> because it contains the boot information for the 2nd partition. Also that
> means it should be correct in being the 2nd partition. So what it looks
> like
> is the empty partition is the 1st one the xp partition is the 2nd one and
> the
> vista partition is the 3rd one. Should copying those files to the root
> folder
> of vista fix the problem, and what is the folder that actually contains
> the
> information used to boot with vista? I found a few folders that seemed to
> contain boot information so I don't know exactly which folder to copy them
> to.
>
> "John Barnes" wrote:
>
>> Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition, Vista
>> on
>> the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
>> You have 1 IDE drive
>> You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier
>> version
>> Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has the
>> Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini files
>> on
>> either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini file
>> and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if I
>> understand your setup. Get your information from disk management.
>> (control
>> panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
>> With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
>> I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the repair
>> partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe
>> side.
>> They usually are available for under $10.
>>
>> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
>> > I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The options
>> > listed
>> > on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft
>> > Windows
>> > Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that
>> > the
>> > partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im guessing
>> > that
>> > has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard drive
>> > is
>> > an
>> > ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original two
>> > that
>> > were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the recovery
>> > partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the
>> > third
>> > now
>> > is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C: drive
>> > but
>> > after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the C:
>> > drive.
>> > I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
>> > install
>> > may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers but
>> > I
>> > am
>> > definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick walk
>> > through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
>> >
>> > Thanks a lot
>> > Chris
>> >
>> > "John Barnes" wrote:
>> >
>> >> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the
>> >> Vista
>> >> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying
>> >> the
>> >> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on
>> >> it.
>> >> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries
>> >> on
>> >> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where
>> >> XP
>> >> is
>> >> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up.
>> >> IDE
>> >> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
>> >> number
>> >> of which drive.
>> >>
>> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
>> >> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but
>> >> >now
>> >> >if
>> >> > I try to start xp it says something like
>> >> > <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
>> >> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have
>> >> > the
>> >> > xp
>> >> > disk
>> >> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can
>> >> > reinstall
>> >> > the
>> >> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing
>> >> > my
>> >> > files
>> >> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
>> >> >
>> >> > Chris
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>
>>

I wasn't able to get back to the computer till now but, that didn't fix it
either. I downloaded vistabootpro and have been searching through message
boards and such to find some hope, without any luck. So if you or anyone has
any more ideas let me hear them. Oh and I also want to thank you for all the
help you've been, I just hope there is something to do to fix this without
having to buy anything else.

"John Barnes" wrote:

> If you are lucky, restoring the boot.ini to the drive with the ntldr and
> ntdetect.com files on it will give you a boot. Just to save steps, I would
> also copy all three files onto the root of the Vista drive.
> You put all files on the root of the drives. Nothing goes into the Vista
> boot file.
> That you got the error you got indicates it is looking to the right place
> for the ntldr file but couldn't complete the process.
>
> If you only have the Vista boot file on the 3rd partition and you are
> booting into Vista, that must be the active partition (should be labeled
> 'system' in disk management)
>
> Let me know what the results are as it may require 1 more step of
> downloading VistaBootPro and adding a legacy system entry there.
>
> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2AF3550C-14BA-4B5B-8F61-C5E70392FFDB@microsoft.com...
> > The xp partition seems to be the active partition and from what it looks
> > like
> > is the 2nd partition of 3(they aren't numbered in the computer
> > management).
> > The vista partition looks like the 3rd partition and seems to contain the
> > vista boot information. The other files when I search for them are on the
> > D:
> > drive which is the xp partition, but when i searched boot.ini it only
> > found a
> > backup file on the D: named boot.ini.backup, but i think that is the file
> > because it contains the boot information for the 2nd partition. Also that
> > means it should be correct in being the 2nd partition. So what it looks
> > like
> > is the empty partition is the 1st one the xp partition is the 2nd one and
> > the
> > vista partition is the 3rd one. Should copying those files to the root
> > folder
> > of vista fix the problem, and what is the folder that actually contains
> > the
> > information used to boot with vista? I found a few folders that seemed to
> > contain boot information so I don't know exactly which folder to copy them
> > to.
> >
> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >
> >> Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition, Vista
> >> on
> >> the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
> >> You have 1 IDE drive
> >> You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier
> >> version
> >> Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has the
> >> Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini files
> >> on
> >> either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini file
> >> and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if I
> >> understand your setup. Get your information from disk management.
> >> (control
> >> panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
> >> With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
> >> I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the repair
> >> partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe
> >> side.
> >> They usually are available for under $10.
> >>
> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
> >> > I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The options
> >> > listed
> >> > on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft
> >> > Windows
> >> > Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that
> >> > the
> >> > partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im guessing
> >> > that
> >> > has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard drive
> >> > is
> >> > an
> >> > ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original two
> >> > that
> >> > were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the recovery
> >> > partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the
> >> > third
> >> > now
> >> > is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C: drive
> >> > but
> >> > after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the C:
> >> > drive.
> >> > I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
> >> > install
> >> > may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers but
> >> > I
> >> > am
> >> > definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick walk
> >> > through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
> >> >
> >> > Thanks a lot
> >> > Chris
> >> >
> >> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the
> >> >> Vista
> >> >> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by copying
> >> >> the
> >> >> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file on
> >> >> it.
> >> >> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the entries
> >> >> on
> >> >> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and where
> >> >> XP
> >> >> is
> >> >> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up.
> >> >> IDE
> >> >> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
> >> >> number
> >> >> of which drive.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> >> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
> >> >> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp, but
> >> >> >now
> >> >> >if
> >> >> > I try to start xp it says something like
> >> >> > <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> >> >> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > xp
> >> >> > disk
> >> >> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can
> >> >> > reinstall
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without losing
> >> >> > my
> >> >> > files
> >> >> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Chris
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>

Just to review. You have 1 connected IDE drive.
You now have Vista on partition 3 and it is the system drive. XP is on
partition 2. Partition 1 is empty.
You now have a copy of ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini in the root on both
the XP and the Vista drive.
You have a Boot menu that has Vista, older version of Windows (XP) and the
new legacy XP system entry you added from VistaBootPro
With both 'XP' entries on the boot menu, older and legacy system, you get
the same message hall.dll missing or corrupt
Your boot.ini on both partitions shows XP on rdisk 0 partition 2

If the above are all correct, can we do one more test to see where you are
failing. Make a duplicate of the boot.ini entry on both partitions. Change
the descriptions on the new entries so you can identify them. Make the
second entry on both point to partition 3

This should cause you to get the secondary boot menu, and give a better idea
of how far into the boot process you get.

"Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1B091EA6-7700-4297-96A1-49BE39F9FB77@microsoft.com...
>I wasn't able to get back to the computer till now but, that didn't fix it
> either. I downloaded vistabootpro and have been searching through message
> boards and such to find some hope, without any luck. So if you or anyone
> has
> any more ideas let me hear them. Oh and I also want to thank you for all
> the
> help you've been, I just hope there is something to do to fix this without
> having to buy anything else.
>
> "John Barnes" wrote:
>
>> If you are lucky, restoring the boot.ini to the drive with the ntldr and
>> ntdetect.com files on it will give you a boot. Just to save steps, I
>> would
>> also copy all three files onto the root of the Vista drive.
>> You put all files on the root of the drives. Nothing goes into the Vista
>> boot file.
>> That you got the error you got indicates it is looking to the right place
>> for the ntldr file but couldn't complete the process.
>>
>> If you only have the Vista boot file on the 3rd partition and you are
>> booting into Vista, that must be the active partition (should be labeled
>> 'system' in disk management)
>>
>> Let me know what the results are as it may require 1 more step of
>> downloading VistaBootPro and adding a legacy system entry there.
>>
>> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:2AF3550C-14BA-4B5B-8F61-C5E70392FFDB@microsoft.com...
>> > The xp partition seems to be the active partition and from what it
>> > looks
>> > like
>> > is the 2nd partition of 3(they aren't numbered in the computer
>> > management).
>> > The vista partition looks like the 3rd partition and seems to contain
>> > the
>> > vista boot information. The other files when I search for them are on
>> > the
>> > D:
>> > drive which is the xp partition, but when i searched boot.ini it only
>> > found a
>> > backup file on the D: named boot.ini.backup, but i think that is the
>> > file
>> > because it contains the boot information for the 2nd partition. Also
>> > that
>> > means it should be correct in being the 2nd partition. So what it looks
>> > like
>> > is the empty partition is the 1st one the xp partition is the 2nd one
>> > and
>> > the
>> > vista partition is the 3rd one. Should copying those files to the root
>> > folder
>> > of vista fix the problem, and what is the folder that actually contains
>> > the
>> > information used to boot with vista? I found a few folders that seemed
>> > to
>> > contain boot information so I don't know exactly which folder to copy
>> > them
>> > to.
>> >
>> > "John Barnes" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition,
>> >> Vista
>> >> on
>> >> the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
>> >> You have 1 IDE drive
>> >> You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier
>> >> version
>> >> Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has
>> >> the
>> >> Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini
>> >> files
>> >> on
>> >> either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini
>> >> file
>> >> and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if
>> >> I
>> >> understand your setup. Get your information from disk management.
>> >> (control
>> >> panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
>> >> With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
>> >> I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the
>> >> repair
>> >> partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe
>> >> side.
>> >> They usually are available for under $10.
>> >>
>> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
>> >> > I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The
>> >> > options
>> >> > listed
>> >> > on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft
>> >> > Windows
>> >> > Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that
>> >> > the
>> >> > partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im
>> >> > guessing
>> >> > that
>> >> > has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard
>> >> > drive
>> >> > is
>> >> > an
>> >> > ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original
>> >> > two
>> >> > that
>> >> > were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the
>> >> > recovery
>> >> > partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the
>> >> > third
>> >> > now
>> >> > is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C:
>> >> > drive
>> >> > but
>> >> > after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the
>> >> > C:
>> >> > drive.
>> >> > I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
>> >> > install
>> >> > may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers
>> >> > but
>> >> > I
>> >> > am
>> >> > definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick
>> >> > walk
>> >> > through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
>> >> >
>> >> > Thanks a lot
>> >> > Chris
>> >> >
>> >> > "John Barnes" wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the
>> >> >> Vista
>> >> >> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by
>> >> >> copying
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file
>> >> >> on
>> >> >> it.
>> >> >> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the
>> >> >> entries
>> >> >> on
>> >> >> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and
>> >> >> where
>> >> >> XP
>> >> >> is
>> >> >> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up.
>> >> >> IDE
>> >> >> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
>> >> >> number
>> >> >> of which drive.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> >> >> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
>> >> >> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp,
>> >> >> >but
>> >> >> >now
>> >> >> >if
>> >> >> > I try to start xp it says something like
>> >> >> > <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
>> >> >> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> > xp
>> >> >> > disk
>> >> >> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can
>> >> >> > reinstall
>> >> >> > the
>> >> >> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without
>> >> >> > losing
>> >> >> > my
>> >> >> > files
>> >> >> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Chris
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>
>>

I checked and double checked to make sure everything was set up correctly and
it was. I created the second xp option through vistabootpro creating a second
option for it on the boot menu, and still get the same thing going into
either option. I tried what you said, duplicating the boot.ini in each root
location and configured them as you said. I also, just in case I wasn't
understanding correctly, configured them the other way around i.e. I made the
original boot.ini point to partition 2 and the new renamed boot.ini point to
partition 3, then I made the original boot.ini point to 3 and the renamed
boot.ini point to partition 2. Originally they both did point to partition 2.
But even after duplicating them and configuring the both ways I still got the
same thing trying to boot into either xp option. There was not any secondary
boot menu that ever came up so I'm guessing it just doesn't even get that
far.

Chris

"John Barnes" wrote:

> Just to review. You have 1 connected IDE drive.
> You now have Vista on partition 3 and it is the system drive. XP is on
> partition 2. Partition 1 is empty.
> You now have a copy of ntldr, ntdetect.com and boot.ini in the root on both
> the XP and the Vista drive.
> You have a Boot menu that has Vista, older version of Windows (XP) and the
> new legacy XP system entry you added from VistaBootPro
> With both 'XP' entries on the boot menu, older and legacy system, you get
> the same message hall.dll missing or corrupt
> Your boot.ini on both partitions shows XP on rdisk 0 partition 2
>
> If the above are all correct, can we do one more test to see where you are
> failing. Make a duplicate of the boot.ini entry on both partitions. Change
> the descriptions on the new entries so you can identify them. Make the
> second entry on both point to partition 3
>
> This should cause you to get the secondary boot menu, and give a better idea
> of how far into the boot process you get.
>
> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:1B091EA6-7700-4297-96A1-49BE39F9FB77@microsoft.com...
> >I wasn't able to get back to the computer till now but, that didn't fix it
> > either. I downloaded vistabootpro and have been searching through message
> > boards and such to find some hope, without any luck. So if you or anyone
> > has
> > any more ideas let me hear them. Oh and I also want to thank you for all
> > the
> > help you've been, I just hope there is something to do to fix this without
> > having to buy anything else.
> >
> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >
> >> If you are lucky, restoring the boot.ini to the drive with the ntldr and
> >> ntdetect.com files on it will give you a boot. Just to save steps, I
> >> would
> >> also copy all three files onto the root of the Vista drive.
> >> You put all files on the root of the drives. Nothing goes into the Vista
> >> boot file.
> >> That you got the error you got indicates it is looking to the right place
> >> for the ntldr file but couldn't complete the process.
> >>
> >> If you only have the Vista boot file on the 3rd partition and you are
> >> booting into Vista, that must be the active partition (should be labeled
> >> 'system' in disk management)
> >>
> >> Let me know what the results are as it may require 1 more step of
> >> downloading VistaBootPro and adding a legacy system entry there.
> >>
> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:2AF3550C-14BA-4B5B-8F61-C5E70392FFDB@microsoft.com...
> >> > The xp partition seems to be the active partition and from what it
> >> > looks
> >> > like
> >> > is the 2nd partition of 3(they aren't numbered in the computer
> >> > management).
> >> > The vista partition looks like the 3rd partition and seems to contain
> >> > the
> >> > vista boot information. The other files when I search for them are on
> >> > the
> >> > D:
> >> > drive which is the xp partition, but when i searched boot.ini it only
> >> > found a
> >> > backup file on the D: named boot.ini.backup, but i think that is the
> >> > file
> >> > because it contains the boot information for the 2nd partition. Also
> >> > that
> >> > means it should be correct in being the 2nd partition. So what it looks
> >> > like
> >> > is the empty partition is the 1st one the xp partition is the 2nd one
> >> > and
> >> > the
> >> > vista partition is the 3rd one. Should copying those files to the root
> >> > folder
> >> > of vista fix the problem, and what is the folder that actually contains
> >> > the
> >> > information used to boot with vista? I found a few folders that seemed
> >> > to
> >> > contain boot information so I don't know exactly which folder to copy
> >> > them
> >> > to.
> >> >
> >> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Forgetting letters, I understand you have XP on the 1st partition,
> >> >> Vista
> >> >> on
> >> >> the 2nd and the 3rd is empty.
> >> >> You have 1 IDE drive
> >> >> You are booting thru your Vista boot and have the entry for earlier
> >> >> version
> >> >> Please note which partition is active, which partition (1 or 2) has
> >> >> the
> >> >> Vista boot files, and if you have the ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini
> >> >> files
> >> >> on
> >> >> either partition which partition are they on. Look in your boot.ini
> >> >> file
> >> >> and see if the partition for XP is correct. Should be partition 1 if
> >> >> I
> >> >> understand your setup. Get your information from disk management.
> >> >> (control
> >> >> panel/administrative services, computer management/disk management)
> >> >> With this information we should be able to work out a solution.
> >> >> I hope your computer came with a restore disk in addition to the
> >> >> repair
> >> >> partition. If not, I do suggest you order one just to be on the safe
> >> >> side.
> >> >> They usually are available for under $10.
> >> >>
> >> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> >> news:0A85F130-F19F-45FB-9E25-7DC343BA1352@microsoft.com...
> >> >> > I'm booting from what I think is called the boot manager. The
> >> >> > options
> >> >> > listed
> >> >> > on that screen are "An earlier version of Windows" and "Microsoft
> >> >> > Windows
> >> >> > Vista." I just went into the Disk Management in Vista and found that
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > partition where I thought the xp recovery was is now empty. Im
> >> >> > guessing
> >> >> > that
> >> >> > has something to do with the problems booting into xp. The hard
> >> >> > drive
> >> >> > is
> >> >> > an
> >> >> > ide and I only have the one. It has three partitions, the original
> >> >> > two
> >> >> > that
> >> >> > were there when I bought it, that being what i think was the
> >> >> > recovery
> >> >> > partition and the other being the primary for everything else, the
> >> >> > third
> >> >> > now
> >> >> > is the Vista partition. The xp partition was originally the C:
> >> >> > drive
> >> >> > but
> >> >> > after the vista install it is now the D: drive and vista is now the
> >> >> > C:
> >> >> > drive.
> >> >> > I was also thinking maybe the changing of the drive naming from the
> >> >> > install
> >> >> > may have caused the problem. I'm pretty knowledgeable of computers
> >> >> > but
> >> >> > I
> >> >> > am
> >> >> > definately not Microsoft certified. So if at all possible a quick
> >> >> > walk
> >> >> > through of the fix would be greatly appreciatted.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Thanks a lot
> >> >> > Chris
> >> >> >
> >> >> > "John Barnes" wrote:
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> You don't say how you are trying to boot, but if you are using the
> >> >> >> Vista
> >> >> >> boot menu and select the legacy drive for XP, I would start by
> >> >> >> copying
> >> >> >> the
> >> >> >> following 3 files to the root of the drive with the Vista boot file
> >> >> >> on
> >> >> >> it.
> >> >> >> ntldr ntdetect.com and boot.ini You should then correct the
> >> >> >> entries
> >> >> >> on
> >> >> >> the boot.ini file to reflect how you have set up your system and
> >> >> >> where
> >> >> >> XP
> >> >> >> is
> >> >> >> located. You could get better info if you said how you are set up.
> >> >> >> IDE
> >> >> >> SATA 1 drive 2 drives etc and which systems are on which partition
> >> >> >> number
> >> >> >> of which drive.
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >> "Chris" <Chris@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> >> >> news:88028826-D959-4404-8FC1-3BE2232F6AAE@microsoft.com...
> >> >> >> >I just installed the vista beta yesterday in a dual boot with xp,
> >> >> >> >but
> >> >> >> >now
> >> >> >> >if
> >> >> >> > I try to start xp it says something like
> >> >> >> > <windowsroot>\system32\hal.dll
> >> >> >> > Missing or Corrupt Please Reinstall . The problem is I don't have
> >> >> >> > the
> >> >> >> > xp
> >> >> >> > disk
> >> >> >> > because it is imaged on my hard drive. Is there any way I can
> >> >> >> > reinstall
> >> >> >> > the
> >> >> >> > file or fix the problem without the actual disk and without
> >> >> >> > losing
> >> >> >> > my
> >> >> >> > files
> >> >> >> > that were already on my hard drive before the vista install?
> >> >> >> >
> >> >> >> > Chris
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>
> >> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>