Okay.

The short answer is you installed the wrong version of this file. There are many versions of this file, as they make it possible for Windows XP to run on a wide variety of platforms.

What you're going to have to do is reinstall Windows yet again (from scratch). When you are still in the text part of the install, you will be presented with the text "Press F6 if you have to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver."

Instead, press F7.

If that doesn't work, then instead of pressing F7 during the install, press F5, and using the arrow keys scroll up and down to find the type of computer that is the closest match to yours.

I feel okay now, because I have given you a plain-english solution to your problem.

Since you have obviously shown a talent for reading technical stuff, this may help you even further:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299340/

or

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=309283

Please let me know how things worked out. I know you won't know right away if this was a good answer, because your test is too involved to know right away. If it did ultimately satisfy you, please come back and "accept" this answer.

Do bear in mind too, that if you get stumped on this, that you can contact www.symantec.com (the makers of Norton Ghost) and request tech support. You may have to pay for it, but having put in countless hours, I'd like to give you a complete and comprehensive answer no matter what.

Regardless, kudos to you for being as good as you are to get this far, and congratulations for your patience.

Please ask for more help if all of this doesn't suffice. I really want to see you succeed.

Gary

It is NOT a default program on most WinXP installations. When the screen comes up and asks you to hit F6, you have the option of
(a) installing the starndard HAL file for PC's (while using the undocumented F7 keystroke),

or
(b) forcing which HAL file should be installed (by hitting the also-undocumented F5 keystroke, and then using the arrow keys to select the computer configuration that is most like yours).

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough about that.

That's why I know that you can't find out if my answer solved your problem quickly. You have to go through at least one more install try, and maybe two.

It is 11:47 PM in my time zone, and I have to go to bed. I probably won't be on the computer tomorrow during most of the day due to prior commitments. And yet, I know you're anxious to solve this.

Please try this if you can. If it doesn't work, and if my help hasn't been "enough help," I will certainly understand if you get help from another expert. I do ask that you try what I suggested first, however. You may also want to read the links I suggested you read too.

I will do my best to check in here again tomorrow evening, but it will be late.

Thanks for your patience, and thank you for using JustAnswer.

Gary

I did still more research. Try the following:

Assuming your system has a D drive for the CD-ROM, type the following two commands:


EXPAND D:\I386\HALACPI.DL_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\HAL.DLL

EXPAND D:\I386\HALACPI.DL_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\HALACPI.DLL.DLL

If that doesn't cut it,

EXPAND D:\I386\HALACPI.DL_ C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32

This should extract the APCI-compliant HAL to the file HALACPI.DLL.

Next rename the current HAL.DLL file to HAL.OLD(you will have to do this in safe mode with command prompt).

Lastly, copy HALACPI.DLL to HAL.DLL.


Give those two things a try. I'm doing the research to try to find out what we need to do to get you whole again, though I've never seen the problem you're having.

Please let me know.

Gary

Hi Stephen.

First, congratulations! I'm glad that you got done what you needed to get done.

Second, I would appreciate it if you would still accept my answers. One of the first things I asked is if you had tried to reinstall Ghost (even before I started posting "answers," but was still in the discovery stage).

Of course, if you don't think you got value for your time and effort, and somehow think I'm responsible for that, I'd not want you to just accept anyway. While I want you to accept my answer, it is more important to me that you value your JustAnswer.com experience.

Please let me know if there is more that I can do in order to help you be a satisfied customer.

Gary