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Windows XP forum: Cant boot into ANYTHING :(

by: treminaor March 1, 2008 7:36 PM PST

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Cant boot into ANYTHING :(

by treminaor - 3/1/08 7:36 PM

Ok, I am pretty computer-savy and I useually know what I am doing and more, but I am stumpted on this one. I am running a Dell XPS 600 Windows XP Media Center system(is this the same as Prefessional, except with more features?) and I have a DELL Operating System DVD (Not a CD-ROM) and I cannot boot into windows. This started when I wanted to boot into Windows Setup to preform a repair install. My computer gave me an error saying that I was missing hal.dll and I could not boot into setup. I went into windows and even though i did indeed have the hal.dll file, I thought maybe it was corrupt. Here's the part where I screwed up. I accidently replaced it with a Windows 2k hal.dll from DLL-FILES.com. I have a backup located on the drive, but I can;t get into Windows anymore now, either. It says that crucial system files are missing that are required for boot and that I need to contact my system administrator. So now I cant boot into anything but Recovery Console because I have it in my Bot Cfg. i tried to just format my drive and start from scratch by using "format C: /Q /FS:NTFS" and then I hit "yes" to format, but I does nothing and gives me another "C:WINDOWS>" prompt. I REALLY dont want to talk to some indian guy on DELL support for an hour, so do you uys have any ideas?


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First, you can't format from within Windows ...

by Edward ODaniel - 3/1/08 8:29 PM

In Reply to: Cant boot into ANYTHING :( by treminaor

because Windows doesn't allow you to format the system drive.

If you really want a fresh install just place the installation disk in the DVD drive then ensure that the DVD drive is your first boot device and reboot the computer.

When the DVD boots instead of performing the repair you simply choose to install and pay attention to the prompts. There will come a point where you can choose to delete the partition and install fresh - do so.


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Crap

by treminaor - 3/2/08 9:46 AM

In Reply to: First, you can't format from within Windows ... by Edward ODaniel

I cant boot the DVD beasue it tells me that hal.dll is missing. I have tried rebuilding my bootcfg but it does not help. I I did not know that I could not format my windows drive from the repair console. What are my options exactly? my goal is really just to get back ito a working Windows environment. I dont really care about the data on my hard drive,, since all of my important things are on my second hard drive. Excuse me for my horrible typing, for I am using a PS3 controller and browser at the moment...


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I may not have fully understood your wording ...

by Edward ODaniel - 3/2/08 11:30 AM

In Reply to: Crap by treminaor

initially.

So now I cant boot into anything but Recovery Console because I have it in my Bot Cfg. i tried to just format my drive and start from scratch by using "format C: /Q /FS:NTFS" and then I hit "yes" to format, but I does nothing and gives me another "C:WINDOWS>" prompt.

Appeared to indicate that you were booting your installation disk and choosing the Repair option. Your latest response now makes it appear that you have the Recovery Console installed to your hard drive as a boot option. You should be able to reformat from the Recovery Console but I have only done such from the Recovery Console via the installation disk which has a presence only on the CD/DVD and in RAM.

Are you POSITIVE that you have first placed the installation DVD into the drive then rebooted and IMMEDIATELY accessed your CMOS to change the boot order so the DVD drive is the FIRST bootable drive? If not you will keep getting the hal error if there is a problem with the improper hal. Humor me and do this as I have NEVER seen any HAL error initiated while booting from the installation media.

You could also verify the boot order by attempting to boot a Linux Live CD.


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.

by treminaor - 3/2/08 2:22 PM

In Reply to: I may not have fully understood your wording ... by Edward ODaniel

I am sorry that my post was not very clear. I was frantic at the time. happy
In my BIOS, the Onboard or usb Cd drive is the first option in my boot order, but i cant choose anything to do with a DVD drive. Would this be why the Windows CD wont boot? When I start my comp with the DVD in the DVD drive, It does not prompt me to press any key to boot from CD. Instead, it adds Windows XP Setup to my MBR. PS: I can boot a Linux Live CD. I also have an XP Professional CD ROM and it gives me the same error, but boots correctly on my other custom desktop.


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If all you want to do is erase

by dhrwfan - 3/3/08 9:06 AM

In Reply to: Cant boot into ANYTHING :( by treminaor

If all you want to do is erase your hard drive go here and use this.


http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html


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