HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) file in Windows , acts as the the link between the hardware components and the operating system. Apart from this, it also provides support for the hardware drivers that are required to run certain hardware devices.
It is installed in the hdd in the beginning when there is a need to make it compatible to work in a Windows environment. So, when this file is not found on the hard disk it doesn't start the system if the hard disk is the boot device. In such scenarios, you should use a professional hard drive data recovery software to perform hard drive recovery.
Let us take an example of up-gradation of Windows 98 to Windows XP. But when you start it displays an error message like:
“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.”
Cause:
There could be the following reasons for this situation:
You have restarted your computer after upgrading from Windows 98.
The hard disk on which you are trying to install Windows XP does not have any operating system.
Resolution:
To resolve this situation, you should perform either of the following methods:
Modify the BIOS settings so that you can start the system from a Boot CD.
Restart the system using the Windows 98 Setup CD.
Type 'sys c:' at the command prompt to copy the system files from the CD to your system.
Start Windows XP Setup again.
Select to format the hard disk before installing Windows XP.
Restart the system after installing Windows XP.
If the above methods are not working that means the hard drive is corrupted and you need to replace it. However, before replacing the hard disk you would need to recover and backup the data.
For this, a third-party hard drive data recovery software is very useful in recovering the inaccessible files. These HDD recovery tools have immaculate user interface that enable an end user with limited technical skills to recover the data easily.
