Start the Windows operating system that you want to keep.

To determine the Windows folder that you want to keep, click Start, click Run, t ype %windir%, and then click OK. Remember the folder that is opened. For example, the folder may be C:\Windows. Note This is your "working" Windows folder. Do not delete or remove this folder from the partition. In Windows Explorer, find the Windows folder that you want to remove. Important Make sure that this folder is not the folder that you identified as yo ur "working" Windows folder in step 2. Right-click the Windows folder that you want to remove, and then click Delete. Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the folder. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties. On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings. The Startup and Recovery dialog box appears. Under System startup, click Edit to modify the Boot.ini file. The Boot.ini file opens in Notepad and looks similar to the following: [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0="Microsoft Windows XP Home" /fastdetect On the File menu in Notepad, click Save As, and then save a backup copy of the B oot.ini file that is named Boot.old. On the File menu, click Exit to close the backup copy of the Boot.ini file. In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, under System startup, click Edit to reop en the Boot.ini file. In the [boot loader] section of the Boot.ini file, identify and then delete the line of text for the Windows operating system that you want to remove. For examp le, if the Windows folder that you removed in step 4 was for the Microsoft Windo ws XP Home Edition operating system, remove the following line of text from the Boot.ini file: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS.0="Microsoft Windows XP Home" /fastdetect On the File menu, click Save to save your changes to the Boot.ini file. On the File menu, click Exit to close the Boot.ini file. Click OK to close the Startup and Recovery dialog box. Restart your computer. s

This document applies to HP and Compaq Desktop computers with Windows XP. When Windows starts, the following error message displays: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Wind ows root>\system32\hal.dll. Please re-install a copy of the above file. " Use the following steps to resolve this error: Step 1: Opening a command prompt This error prevents Windows XP from opening. This problem has to be addressed fr om a command prompt environment. Use the following steps to open a command prompt environment: Turn on the computer and press the F8 key repeatedly when the first screen displ ays.

The Windows Advanced Options menu displays. Use the Up and Down Arrow and Enter keys to select Return to OS choices . Select Microsoft Windows Recovery Console . NOTE:If Microsoft Windows XP Recovery Console is not listed, restart the compute r with a Windows XP CD, Recovery Console CD, or Recovery Tools CD in the top CD or DVD drive and open Microsoft Windows Recovery Console. If a Windows XP Setup screen displays when using Recovery Console CDs, press the R key to open the Rec overy Console. NOTE:If Microsoft Windows XP Recovery Console is not listed and you do not have a Recovery Console CD, try the following: Turn on the computer, and press the F10 key repeatedly at the first screen. At the Recovery screen, click Advanced Options . Press the Alt + D keys at the same time to open a command prompt window. Then sk ip to Step 5. When the login prompt displays, press the number next to the Windows version (mi nint or Windows) and type the login password. Try pressing Enter if you do not know the password. At the command prompt, type the following: diskpart Press Enter , and do one the following: If a table of volume names displays, remember the drive letter next to the main drive volume name (usually D or H next to HP_PAVILION or PRESARIO), and press th e Esc key. If a diskpart prompt displays, type list volume , press Enter , remember the dri ve letter next to the main drive volume name (usually D or H next to HP_PAVILION or PRESARIO), type exit when done, and then press Enter . NOTE: If the main drive volume name does not display in the list, the computer n eeds to be recovered. For more information, see Performing a Full System Recover y in XP . Step 2: Restoring boot.ini Use the following steps to replace the boot.ini file with the backup boot.ini fi le: Type the following at the command prompt: X: (where X is the drive letter). Press Enter and type the following at the command prompt: attrib -h -s -r boot.i ni At the prompt, type the following: ren boot.ini boot.in2 Press Enter At the prompt, type the following: ren boot.bak boot.ini Type the following at the command prompt: attrib +h +s +r boot.ini Press Enter. At the prompt, type the following: exit Press Enter. The system automatically restarts. If Windows XP does not open, continue to the next step. Step 3: Editing boot.ini If the steps above fail to resolve the error, use the following steps: NOTE:The following steps use the recovery partition on the hard drive. If the re covery partition has been removed, these steps will not work and you should reco ver the computer using recovery discs. Turn on the computer. When the initial logo screen displays, press the F10 key r epeatedly until a message about starting recovery displays. At the Recovery screen, click Advanced Options and then press the Alt and D keys at the same time to go to a command prompt. At the command prompt, type the following: diskpart Press Enter and type the following at the diskpart prompt: list volume A table of drive volumes and names displays. Note the drive letter next to the main drive volume name (usually D or H next to

HP_PAVILION or PRESARIO). Type the following at the diskpart prompt: Exit Press Enter and type the drive letter for the main drive volume followed by a co lon (: ) at the command prompt. For example, D: . Press Enter and type the following at the command prompt: attrib -h -s -r boot.i ni Press Enter and type the following at the command prompt: boot.ini The file opens for editing in Notepad. Edit the boot.ini file to read exactly as follows: [boot loader] timeout=0 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons NOTE:If your computer came with Windows XP Professional, edit the line referring to Home Edition under [operating systems] to read as follows: MULTI(0)DISK(0)RD ISK(0)PARTITION(2)\WINDOWS="MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL" /FASTDETECT Save the file and then Exit from the menu. Type the following at the command prompt: attrib +h +s +r boot.ini Press Enter and type the following at the command prompt: Exit Click Quit on the recovery screen to restart the computer. The computer should now restart without the error message. If the error still oc curs, perform a full system recovery. For more information, see Performing a Sys tem Recovery in Microsoft Windows XP " Print this page HP AND COMPAQ DESKTOP PCS