Hal.dll - Commonly Encountered Issues and Solutions

Overview - What is hal.dll

"Open the pod bay doors Hal". No, hal.dll has nothing to do with Space Odyssey 2001. HAL stands for Hardware Abstraction Layer, and is a WinOS system file that is required for WinOS to work properly.

Hardware Abstraction Layer is another way of saying hardware management in WinOS is fairly complicated, so it needs a DLL file dedicated to hardware to hide all this complexity. As hal.dll is a WinOS system file, WinOS will complain if it's removed, and you may find that WinOS won't work properly without it. You may even find that your computer will not boot correctly without it.

Common Issues With hal.dll

If your system loses its hal.dll file, you may see one of the following messages:

• Cannot find hal.dll
• Cannot find WinOS/system32/hal.dll
• Hal.dll missing or corrupt, please re-install a copy of the above file

In addition, if you're starting up your computer, WinOS may halt during the boot-up process with this message:

• WinOS could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WinOS/system32/hal.dll

The cause for this message is fairly self-explanatory, the hal.dll file is either missing, or it's been corrupted in some way. This can sometimes happen if the computer is shut down unexpectedly, or due to a virus or malicious program corrupting the hal.dll file.

Another issue with the hal.dll file is when it starts using a lot of CPU performance. You can check to see what programs and processes are using your CPU by using the Task Manager. If you notice that hal.dll is using up much of your CPU, then it's likely the file has been compromised by a virus or by some kind of malware.

You can also receive an error message about hal.dll if your boot.ini file has become corrupt. In this case, the hal.dll file is probably undamaged and you should rebuild your boot.ini file.

Solution - How to Repair or Replace Your hal.dll File

The best way to repair your hal.dll file is by running a system restore. If your hal.dll file has been damaged by a virus or simply deleted, rolling back to a previous restore point will usually solve the problem. If you can't boot into WinOS, then you can run a system restore directly from your WinOS CD.

Alternatively, you can do a WinOS system repair and that will also repair or replace any missing WinOS system files.

If the problem is your boot.ini file as previously suggested, then rebuilding your boot.ini file will also do the job. You can do this by following the following instructions.

1. Boot from your WinOS CD and enter the recovery console.
2. At the command line, enter this command - bootcfg /rebuild
3. You computer will then look for WinOS installations on your hard drive and display a list. In normal circumstances you will only have one installation of WinOS.
4. As the prompt asking if you wish to add installation to boot list, reply "Yes" and press enter.
5. You will be asked to enter a load identifier. This will be the name of your operating system. Choose your operating system from the list and press enter.
6. You will be asked to enter OS Load options. At the prompt type: /fastdetect and press enter.
7. Now remove your WinOS CD, type exit and press enter. Your system will now reboot, and assuming the boot.ini was the only problem with your system, WinOS will start normally.

You can also watch this video guide.