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Root disk required

6K views 64 replies 3 participants last post by  jood 
#1 ·
I am typing this on desktop. My notebook - an EEE PC - when I tried to start it up said

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.
============================================
If I can't find the disc - what do I do now?

Judy
 
#2 ·
What is its make and model?

Does it have an optical drive (probably not)?

Do you have recent backups of all your files and program installers so you can restore the machine to the way it was when you bought it?
 
#3 ·
No backups sorry. Its an EEEPC 1000H

By optical drive - do you mean a CD Drive? I have a portable one.

I found the Product Key on the back of the computer - not sure which one is the model no.

There are various numbers on the back - one is FCC ID another is IC
 
#4 ·
OK. We can save recovery as a last resort. You most likely have a recovery partition on your hard drive.

What led up to this? Were there any indications of problems before this happened? What was the last thing you were doing with the machine?

Have you ever tried to boot from that external drive?
 
#5 ·
No - never booted from hard drive.

I wanted to get rid of two versions of ICQ - and the only way I could do it was through the folder to uninstal. The first version said there was an error, and I know I shouldnt have - but I just deleted it anyway. the second version appeared to uninstal, but then I had a green picture from ICQ - something was happening, but I couldnt see what - so I left the computer to think about it for an hour or so - when I got back the computer had gone to sleep.

Usually if I tap the start button, it tells me what is open, but this time it asked me as administrator for the password, which I didnt know - don't think I've ever been asked that before - so I rebooted - and thats when the trouble started.

In the Control Panel, I got an error msg and it wouldnt uninstal, nor would the toolbar - that's how it all started. ICQ is very invasive.
 
#7 ·
No - never booted from hard drive.
Presumably, you have always booted from the hard drive when you booted the machine.

I was asking about the portable CD-ROM that you have. Have you ever connected that and booted from it?

Do you have, or can you get, a USB flash drive, 2 GB's or larger? This will only be needed if you have files on the computer that you want to save before restoring Windows. You could also use a CD if you can boot from the portable (which you should be able to do - they often make that easy with netbooks since there is no optical drive and no other way in :D).

It sounds like you may have multiple things wrong with the system. Hopefully, none of them involve hardware, though the sudden failure to boot makes that possible. Of course, deleting things, especially if they were installed by the Windows Installer, can lead to many problems, and parts of those ICQ programs are all over the system, not just in Program Files, so that is why the uninstaller should have been used.

If you can recover your files (if there are any you want/need) and then try to go back to factory settings, you would at least have a working computer.
 
#10 ·
I have just found a disc related to the EeePC - 1000H

Its called 1000H XP Support DVD Rev. 400

There may be things I want to save on this notebook, but as you know I can't get in to have a look.

I didn't quote anything as you may have to read from the beginning again :(
 
#11 ·
You can get in to save your files with this:

*******************************************
Parted Magic disk partitioning, PC repair, and file recovery tool (Bootable CD or USB image)
If you prefer a bootable USB key, download and run Linux Live USB Creator. Choose the Parted Magic distro, and it will download it and automatically create a bootable USB key.

This CD (or key) contains many useful tools. You can partition, recover files, recover lost partitions, make disk images (by several different methods), transfer files between media, scan for viruses (It can serve as an Alternative Trusted Platform for search and elimination of rootkits and bootkits), examine and benchmark hardware, access the internet, and much more.
*******************************************

Make sure you have a USB stick or whatever you want to recover to ready when you boot up the USB or CD.
 
#19 ·
No I don't :( I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the portable DVD player, tho it was working the other day. Can't seem to hear the disc spinning, tho the light is on.

On the side it says A virtual floppy disk drive (Floppy Drive B:) may appear when you set the CD-Rom drive as the first boot Device - which was what you were asking, tho it has not happened.
 
#20 ·
OK. Try turning off the Boot Booster. Save it. See if anything shows up then.

(To save it, you may need to exit BIOS, usually the Esc key. That usually gives you an option to save and exit or just exit. If you go that way, save and exit, and then go back into BIOS to see if anything else showed up in the list.)
 
#23 ·
OK. You moved the drive to the top of the list and tried to boot? Did the drive show activity when you did that?

If not, go back into BIOS and see if it is still at the top.
 
#24 ·
well I tabbed down to it - pressed enter, as it said, but all I got was the black screen and hyphen blinking in left corner. I started all over again and got a page called Americana with data on it - and it had expressed knowledge of the dvd - then it went over to Bios. Altho the light is on the external dvd, I didnt hear it whirring and just have the blank black screen.

Will start all over again tho.
 
#25 ·
I disabled Boot Booster - it still reads

Boot Device Priority
Hard disk Drives
Boot settings configuration
On board LAN Boot ROM [disabled]
Boot Booster [disabled]

The bits in red are what is different from when I first typed it up
 
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