01-29-2009, 09:03 PM

I need to fix my friend's Windows computer.

This is the following message on startup.

windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

<WINDOWS root>\system32\hal.dll.

please reinstall a copy of the above file.

We've tried to recover using a Windows disk, no luck. It might be a hardware failure and it might not be salvageable.

I need to save priceless photos! Music can be replaced (though expensive as these are all purchased from iTunes) but photos are very sentimental.

So I know that Macs can boot up in Target Disk mode, can Windows do this and can a Mac read this as a Firewire drive or plugged in USB drive or something? I just need to save these pics. Can a Mac read it? I haven't tried, my friend is somewhere else now so she'd have to ask her Windows or Mac friends or someone... we just need to get these.

If you know how to recover this all with Windows computers, please help. I think she has access to Windows and Mac computers, so anything you can think of...

Please help!

01-29-2009, 09:29 PM

Windows doesn't have a target disk mode, but there are many ways you can do this. What I would do is pick up an adapter that will allow you to connect the hard drive from the Windows PC externally. An example is here.

Then, simply hook up the hard disk to your Mac via USB and you should be able to read the entire filesystem.

As to that specific error, I've seen that happen when automatic updates don't install right, so it's not necessarily a hardware failure. You might be able to just reinstall Windows or extract the needed file from a similarly configured Windows machine and copy it to that one using the recovery console.

01-29-2009, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by cwa107

Windows doesn't have a target disk mode, but there are many ways you can do this. What I would do is pick up an adapter that will allow you to connect the hard drive from the Windows PC externally. An example is here.

Then, simply hook up the hard disk to your Mac via USB and you should be able to read the entire filesystem.

As to that specific error, I've seen that happen when automatic updates don't install right, so it's not necessarily a hardware failure. You might be able to just reinstall Windows or extract the needed file from a similarly configured Windows machine and copy it to that one using the recovery console.

i don't understand how this works. how does it work? do i have to take apart the laptop? she has a USB port and that's it... no SATA ports or whatevs. it's a crappy dell laptop that's like 6 years old. i appreciate your response, thank you, i just need a bit more info. thanks.

01-29-2009, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by ekologik

i don't understand how this works. how does it work? do i have to take apart the laptop? she has a USB port and that's it... no SATA ports or whatevs. it's a crappy dell laptop that's like 6 years old. i appreciate your response, thank you, i just need a bit more info. thanks.

On most Dells, the hard drive can be removed from the machine quite easily. There's usually a number of doors on the bottom of the machine, secured with screws. If you tell me the model, I can give you more specific information on how to remove them.

Once the drive is removed, you simply connect it to the adapter I mentioned above (or one similar). Most decent computer shops stock these, and they should be less than $20. Alternatively, you can also buy an external case that the hard drive can be mounted within to convert it to an external drive.

The other end of the adapter will connect to your Mac via USB. Once that's done, the disk will pop up on your Mac's desktop, where you can freely browse its contents.

01-29-2009, 10:26 PM

To the OP:

In addition to the advice given by cwa107, that error is very often a result of the hidden file "boot.ini" becoming corrupt by either an update or a program that may have written to the root directory of Windows.

The file boot.ini is sort of a "traffic cop" file in that it tells Windows where its boot and system files reside. The file "hal.dll" normally resides in \windows\system32 on drive c and its location is specified in boot.ini by partition number. All you really need to do is repair "boot.ini". The file hal.dll is more than likely still there.

See this link to learn how to repair boot.ini.

Regards.

01-30-2009, 10:52 AM

thanks i'll try the recovery disk thing.