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8 February 2024  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
If you need to solve the errors of hal.dll missing or corrupted, you can read this article. Besides, you can recover important files with the methods in this article. Don't let missing or damaged hardware abstraction layer files keep you from accessing your computer.



Table of contents

table iconI. About hal.dll and why it is missing or damaged
table iconII. How to solve the problem of Hal.dll missing or damaged?
table iconIII. Use Renee PassNow to transfer or recover important data when the system fails to boot
hal.dll missing or corrupted

I. About hal.dll and why it is missing or damaged

The full name of hal.dl is Hardware Abstraction Layer DLL. It acts as an interface between system hardware and software, providing a consistent hardware platform for applications. When using hal.dll, applications access the hardware abstraction layer instead of directly accessing the system’s hardware. Without hal.dll, Windows may fail to start and display an error message.
hal dll is missing or damaged
This error may be caused by a corrupted or missing hal.dll file, or a failed system hard drive. Let’s explore the appropriate solutions after understanding the relevant knowledge about hal.dll.

II. How to solve the problem of Hal.dll missing or damaged?

1. Perform Windows Startup Repair

Windows Startup Repair fixes a range of problems that prevent Windows from starting to load and replaces missing or damaged files. Therefore, you can try to perform a startup repair to solve the problem that hal.dll is missing or damaged. The following uses the startup repair function of the Windows 10 system as an example to introduce. The specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Insert the Windows 10 installation disk into the computer. Use the appropriate shortcut keys (F2, F10, DEL, or ESC) to enter the BIOS setting interface during startup. Set the first boot sequence to the Windows installation disk and save the settings. This will allow the computer to start from the installation disk and install Windows. On the “Install Now” interface, select the “Repair your computer” option to enter the recovery environment.
windows installation repair your computer
Step 2: Enter the recovery environment and choose (Troubleshoot) > (Advanced Options) > (Startup Repair). Wait for Windows Startup Repair to finish, then restart the computer to check if the issue is resolved.
startup Repair

2. Restore the hal.dll file

To fix the “Windows cannot start” error caused by the loss or damage of the hal.dll file, follow these steps for Windows XP:
Step 1: Insert the Windows XP installation disk and restart your computer. Press any key when prompted to boot from CD.
Step 2: Press (R) on the Options screen to launch the Recovery Console. Enter your administrator password and press (Enter) to access the command prompt window. Type (expand D:\i386\hal.dl_C:\Windows\system32\) in the prompt, where D is the drive letter of the Windows XP installation CD and C is the drive letter of the Windows system’s hard disk. Press (Enter) to confirm overwriting the hal.dll file when prompted. Restart the computer to check if the issue is resolved.
Enter prompt command

3. Use chkdsk to check the hard drive

The chkdsk tool is a command for Windows to check disk state, memory state, and number of files in a specified path. It can also repair disk errors. Repairing a faulty hard disk using chkdsk is simple. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Connect the Windows 10 installation disk to the computer and change the boot order in the BIOS settings to start from the Windows installation disk.
Step 2: After successfully booting the computer from the Windows installation disk, select the “Repair your computer” option in the lower left corner of the installation interface to enter.
Repair your computer
Step 3: In the Windows Recovery Environment, choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, and finally Command Prompt.
command prompt
Step 4: Enter the command chkdsk D: /f in the command prompt window. Replace D with the correct disk number for your system. Press Enter to initiate error repair. Restart the computer after the repair is complete to check if the problem is resolved.
check disk
The common methods to solve Windows cannot start due to hal.dll missing or damaged are listed above. Try these methods one by one to fix the issue. If your computer’s hard disk contains important files that you cannot transfer because Windows cannot be started, you can use Renee PassNow to transfer or restore the files without accessing the Windows system. Here are the detailed steps for the operation.

III. Use Renee PassNow to transfer or recover important data when the system fails to boot

1. What is Renee PassNow?

Renee PassNow is a professional system rescue software that helps Windows users with various tasks such as clearing Windows account passwords, creating new administrator accounts, recovering data from disk/memory cards, restoring data after hard disk formatting, transferring disk files, erasing or scanning disk files, and repairing Windows system problems. It is compatible with multiple systems including Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista.
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2. How to use Renee PassNow to transfer or recover data?

Step 1: Download and install Renee PassNow on a functioning computer, connect the USB disk to the PC, and open Renee PassNow. In the “Step 1: Select creation method” section, select “Create a Live USB”
Note: Before proceeding, ensure that important files on the USB disk are backed up, as the process will delete all data on the disk.
create a boot media with renee passnow
Step 2: Select the system type (x64) or (x86), and download the ISO file by clicking (Download Now), create a Rescue USB by clicking (Create USB), and finally, eject the USB by clicking (Eject USB).
use renee passnow to create usb to reset passnword
Step 3: Connect the boot device to the computer, turn it on, and quickly enter the BIOS by pressing the shortcut key displayed on the screen (usually only one or two seconds). In the BIOS setting interface, set the boot USB disk as the priority in the boot sequence. Save the settings and restart the computer.
select boot order
Step 4: Wait for Renee PassNow to load, then choose (Data Transfer). To transfer data from the entire hard disk, select the (data backup) option.
data transfer function in Renee Passnow
Step 5: Click on each disk drive letter (C/D/E/F, etc.) to check for lost important files. If found, transfer them to an external disk. To transfer data, select the C drive on the upper left, select the G drive on the upper right, choose files from the C drive, and click the Copy function button in the middle. Data transfer is simple. To delete a file, select it and click the (Delete) button in the middle. Note that deletion is irreversible, so proceed with caution.
data transfer in Renee Passnow
Step 6: If you find that there is data loss, please select the (Undeleter) option on the main interface, and click the (Run) button.
data recovery function in Renee Passnow
Step 7: Select (Whole Disk Scan) to scan the target hard disk.
elect whole disk scan in renee undeleter
Step 8: After completing the scan, select the file to recover and click the "Recover" button. Save the file on an external disk, eject the USB disk after recovery, and proceed with other computer operations such as maintenance, hard disk replacement, or system reinstallation.
recover files from whole disk scan with renee undeleter