Jun 19 2008
Eee PC XP Install hal.dll Error Fix

Do you have this error? If you’ve tried to install XP onto an Eee PC through the USB stick/drive, you may have seen this error. I’ve personally seen this myself.
The reason for this seems to be that the Eee PC boots into the SSD hard drive even if you told it to boot into the USB drive first.
The Fix:
Press the ESC key when Windows XP setup reboots for the first time.

Then select your USB stick.

Then it will boot into a selection. Select GUI Mode Setup. This will continue Windows XP setup in the wonderful GUI we know and love. It’s the one where you enter your Key and Region Settings.

It took me awhile to figure that out but it does work.
- For Eee PC XP install instructions via a USB stick see: EEEguides.com, liliputing.com
- For nLite XP fat trimming (my install went down to 258MB) see: i64X.com, EeeUser.com
- For nLite: nLiteOS.com
Now how about one question from me. I used nLite to trim the fat, but get this error on every boot up. I’m suspecting I’ve checked a wrong box. Once I click this OK, that error goes away and I can login like normal. But on restart, this message comes back every time. Not critical, but annoying.





Many thx for this info, very halpful
Hi,
I got myself the eee pc 900. great pc with linux, but becos my trading platform requires windows xp, I went to purchase an original Windows XP SP2 (BIG MISTAKE) and tried to install over the linux according to the manual instructions. Halfway through the installing, it asked me to load some files from windows xp SP2. I tried to search the Windows XP folder for the files it requested but the stupid system keep telling file not found- (WHY CANT MICROSOFT MAKE IT FUSS FREE FOR USERS????) So, I had to resort to ’skip file’, meaning skip some of those files that they cannot detect from my ORIGINAL WINDOWS XP SP2. After waiting a miserable 45 minutes for the full installation, some error message appeared near the completion of the installation *SIGH*. and this resulted in some COCK UP of the XP installation. After rebooting, my eee pc jammed and asked to re-install some files, which I waited again for another 45 minutes, after which they gave me some error again near the completion of the installation.
Now, after switching on the PC, it jams at a black screen with a blinking cursor below. I noticed I can get it to work by pressing esc and they will ask me to select which operating system: and they give me a choice of 2 similar Windows XP?!?!?!??! If I select the 2nd one, it will jam and hang. If I select the first one, I will finally see the desktop, but all my applications ARE SO SLOW!! and hangs!!!
I tried to REINSTALL Windows XP but there is NO Option to Re-install, as my friends told me WINDOWS XP can only install ONCE on one computer!!! So what happens if ERRORS occur during installation and it COCKS UP my PC and I CANNOT reinstall!?!?!? I’m Stuck with A USELESS EEE PC because I CHOSE TO BUY ORIGINAL MICROSOFT products!!!!!! I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO MY FRIENDS AND BOUGHT PIRATED MICROSOFT! AT LEAST THE DEALERS STILL HONOUR TO GIVE YOU A ONE TO ONE EXCHANGE EVEN IF THEIR SOFTWARE DON’T WORK, FOR US$5. BUT INSTEAD I CHOSE TO PAY US$180 TO BUY ORIGINAL AND GO THROUGH ALL THESE SUFFERING.
Can some kind soul help this IT idiot here? I really appreciate some expert advice here because I am beginning to join the masses that are growing to HATE microsoft and its monopoly!
Thank you and God bless.
-Mr IT idiot who hates microsoft
noblehelp@gmail.com
Singapore
the OEM version of XP can be installed once if activated.
the retail box version of XP can be installed, activated and reinstalled 3 times I believe.
So you may not be out of luck here.
I’ve went back and reinstalled my XP on my EeePC multiple times. When you first install the XP, did you format the hard drive of the Eee PC? I believe you need to format that per the instructions.
I remember one of my installations that I had to find similar missing files. I had a full copy of my windows XP windows directory ready and had to individually find each file that was in a previous XP installation. This was weird and painful. Which didn’t happen the 1st time I installed XP on the EeePC.
If you did the nLite XP, then maybe you stripped out too many files. So I suggest you have a USB drive with a full copy of XP and maybe a full copy of a working Windows XP windows directory.
Thanks for your info! I had the hal.dll problem and I could fix it with the Esc key method. Now I’m getting the same error you got on every boot up. Could you solve it? In my case windows installed in D: drive instead of the usual C: Could this explain the problem?
Thanks a lot!
E.coli, I reinstalled the whole thing again and again and looked more closely at the check boxes.
Perhaps too many items were not included in the image.
THANKS!!! I think that will complete it. now it should work! Thanks soooo much!