Dell Dimension 8300 error message at start and I have a question...or 2

[a-10tankkiller]

My 10 year Dell Dimension 8300 possibly has hit its end. Today at start up I am getting the message "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <windows root>\system32\hal.dll. Please reinstall a copy of the above file"

I have the Dell operating system disk, but it says reinstallation disk. Would it probably be a repair disk for Windows also? I have other Win XP disks, could I use one of those to repair the XP that came with this Dell, or would there be a conflict?

Thanks

[Jeffbx]

You should be able to boot off of that CD & run a repair - however, the root of that problem could be that your HD is dying or dead. I'd recommend booting from the CD, going to the recovery console & running a chkdsk. If you're lucky enough to get the machine booting again, back that drive up ASAP. Once you have your files, I'd say go have a look at an XPS 8500 from Dell.... good time for a new machine!

[a-10tankkiller]

No luck using either the Dell recovery disk, or another disk with XP. For the first time in ~15-20 years of computers I brought the damn thing in to a shop. I would have just let it die, but so far I can't get any of my files that I backed up using Acronis and an external drive to open on another computer. It shows that the backups are there and my last system backup was Dec 1, and email it did everyday. I am making a new bootable media with a jump drive and hoping that will give me access to the files. I thought, obviously mistakenly, that with Acronis I would be able to just hook up the external drive to my other computer and recover the files I wanted or needed. I am probably doing something wrong, but it ain't happening, and I can say I am one pissed off human.

[a-10tankkiller]

Oh yea, I new this day was coming, and I talked myself out of buying a new computer for over a year now. Last weekend i bought a new printer at Costco, and next to it was a Dimension 8500. I grabbed the box, read the specs, and then said I can wait. I am trying to figure out how you put your own foot up your own rear end.

[Markel]

Have you tried taking the hard drive out of the failed system and hooking it up to a working system via a USB dock or cable? If there is any hope of recovering files from it, that would be your best chance.

[Jeffbx]

Hahaha! Timing is everything, isn't it.

Markel's suggestion is a good one - you can get a new system & then just connect your old drives up to it. You may need an IDE to SATA connector for your internal HD, but you should be able to get the data off of there pretty easily, assuming your drive isn't damaged.

[Markel]

Hahaha! Timing is everything, isn't it.

Markel's suggestion is a good one - you can get a new system & then just connect your old drives up to it. You may need an IDE to SATA connector for your internal HD, but you should be able to get the data off of there pretty easily, assuming your drive isn't damaged.

I would stick with a USB connector. When I've had second drives slaved via the typical motherboard connection, the OS still wants to do some testing of the drive at startup before it will connect it and some failed drives will not work. However, since the USB connections are "hot swappable" you can connect the drive after the OS is up and running and have a greater chance at accessing the files. If you don't have one, a number of places sell an external connector that will allow you to adapt any drive (2.5/3.5 IDE, SATA) to a USB connection. Here's (http://www.gotapex.com/l/288755/Dell-Dimension-8300-error-message-at-start-and-I-have-a-question-or-21430576-1) one such example.

[a-10tankkiller]

I ended up paying a local place $57 to move the contents to a 2nd drive I had in the computer. Everything came through intact. I put it in a newer machine before I read Merkels idea, but the drive seems to be ok. I have everything backed on an external drive also, but so far Acronis won't work on the computer I am trying to get access to the external drive through. It's a Windows 7 machine, and the Acronis is true Image 2010. I'll have to check and see if it is a compatability issue. I can see the files, but I run Acronis to open them it locks up and asks if I want to search the web for a solution or close the program. Gee, it's great having everything backed up. Glad the other drive was not completely fried.
I'll keep working on the Acronis issue, and I also will be spending time grabbing the Outlook Express files from the old image and hopefully converting them to the new computer and Outlook.
Glad I have vacation next week. At least I have an excuse to buy or build a new computer. :))

[a-10tankkiller]

Oh, yea the lady at the shop opened the case when I came in, and says look at this. There are 4 popped capacitors on the MB, so I guess it was a matter of time before the computer died completely. I may give it a burial with honors for 10 years of service and abuse by my kids, ok and me sometimes.