Feel like wasting several hours? Try installing Windows XP with Boot Camp 2.0 (the version released as part of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) using NTFS, the file system required for partitions larger than 32 GB. Then watch as it fails miserably, again and again.
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
<Windows root>system32hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.
Sound familiar? You didn’t do anything wrong—this is actually Apple’s fault. Hal.dll, the “hardware abstraction layer”, doesn’t have any particular significance; it just happens to be the first file that Windows looks for as it’s loading. Attempting to replace this file with the copy on disk won’t work, and your boot.ini is probably fine.
So how do you fix it, then? The solution is a bit involved, but not too bad all things considered. Here are the steps:
- If you haven’t already removed the bad installation, you’ll need to do so. In OS X, open Boot Camp, click Continue, select “Create or remove a Windows partition”, click Continue, and then click Restore.
- Create a new partition as you did before, and start the installation.
- After the computer has rebooted and it’s booted from the CD, type “R” to go to the console. You should be dumped to the C: prompt.
- We’re going to reformat the drive as NTFS ourselves instead of letting the Windows installer do it. Type the following and hit Return:
format c: /q /fs:ntfs
Then type this to reboot the computer:
- Hold Option after it restarts, then boot to the Windows installation CD again (I believe it boots to the CD by default at this point, but this is just to be sure).
- Install to C: (be careful not to select your OS X volume!), but—and this is important—choose NOT to reformat. Leave the file system as is.
- Continue the installation process as you would normally.
That’s it! If things went well, the lovely 256-color Windows logo should load and you’ll be looking at Napa Valley in no time.
Thank you, it worked without a hitch!
Special note to Desktop Parallels users, you must follow all of the above steps, Parallels will interfere with 2 of the steps if you attempt to use it BEFORE the full installation has completed!
Works perfectly starting with Windows XP from Boot Camp, and works perfectly from Desktop Parallels too!
Once again, thank you!
After trying every single thing you’d mentioned, i was tying my noose when i stumbled upon this website. Thank you so much for saving me the time involved and the cost of the rope. Seriously. Thanks.
Thanks for the nice tip. It saved my valuable time.
Thank You…Thank You…Thank You…Thank You… I’ve been tasked to install Bootcamp on 18 of our training machines and until I found this site I thought it was never gonna happen!
After 5. step it says “Setup is inspecting your computer’s hardware configuration” than goes out a blank secreen
You are an f-ing genius!
Works! fix is legend!
This is by far the best BootCamp 2.0/XP/NTFS walk through out there.
Bookmark this url you will not regret it when you need it.
I almost lost it myself. ;>
Enjoy
July 19, 2009. I’ve been struggling for a week with Boot Camp and the install of XP SP2 on my MacBook Air 1.8 w/64 GB SSD running 10.5.x. Unfortunately holding down the ‘R’ key does not dump me into the console so no opportunity to get a ‘C’ prompt. Same on my MacBook, even when using an external keyboard. I had high hopes after reading the rest of the comments!
Ron: When you go to install the windows operating system, you don’t hold down the ‘R’ key. The ‘R’ key refers to enter the Recovery Console, which can be accessed at the point before starting the process of formatting partitions. Once you boot off the cd, and get to the ‘Welcome to Setup’ you will have the open to start the install process by pressing ‘Enter’ or enter the Recover Console by pressing ‘R’. Hope this helps you to get your Macbook working with Windows.
dude. u are a genius man. just when i thought all was lost i saw this article. its a life saver. thanks bro!
Was having this problem after trying to copy my Bootcamp image to a new Macbook Pro with Winclone. While the Winclone copy worked very well, other issues lead me to do a restore. No matter what I tried I ran into this problem.
I was using Bootcamp V3, not V2 with Parallels V5. This worked flawlessly, perhaps even better. When complete and I finally ejected my Win XP Pro disk, I was shocked to see that it was with SP3 not SP2. I had purchased the XP earlier in the day and told the cashier that I needed SP2 for BootCamp, he seemed familiar with process so I never gave a thought to the prospect of SP2/SP3.
I do not know if Boot Camp V3 allows SP3 or your assistance allowed me to use it? Either way I was quite happy and whether it was this software or not, I went from no being able to install Win XP, to happily using it!!
I had spent almost a day on this pouring over internet help that was specific and detailed for Windows (But incorrect) or the same minimal assistance supplied under Boot Camp or from Apple (most o which I could not even try).
Thanks again!
That addresses several of my ceoncnrs actually.
It’s a relief to find soemnoe who can explain things so well