...Everytime I load my harddrive , this message appears:

"windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt windows system32 config\system32\hal.dll file is corrupt or missing,"

My windows vista 320 wd scorpio blue gb hard drive would not load anyway on my T43 ibm thinkpad because it wasn't initially compatible with the hard drive, but I only received the 2010 error message, not the recent message as quoted above. Luckily, I backed up everything on my harddrive to an external hard drive anyway. The next action I want to take is delete everything on my 320 gb hdd and just start with a blank slate and I want to delete my hard drive via BIOS setup. Will the message still appear if I delete everything on my 320 gb harddrive and start from a blank slate?

The 2010 error will remain, until you apply TTAV134's BIOS.

The Windows message should disappear after formatting the drive.

What is the TTAV134 BIOS and how would I attain it? Though my issue wasn't with the 2010 error but this message"windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt windows system32 config\system32\hal.dll file is corrupt or missing" that suddenly appears when I load my hard drive, I thought the 2010 error would disappear if I format my harddrive?

2010 error only disappears after a BIOS upgrade: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/thread ... post344779

The other error only disappears after a reformat of the hard disk.
Do I have to repeat everything?

The "... file is missing or corrupt" message has to do with a Windows setup which has gotten messed up, while the 2010 "Hard Drive incompatibility error" has to do with the fact that your hard drive is not on an accepted "whitelist" of hard drives which I.B.M. created for the T43 and R52 laptops. Apples and oranges, one error has nothing to do with the other. Therefore, reformatting the hard drive/reinstalling Windows will hopefully restore a proper, working Windows setup (unless there is indeed a problem with your hard drive). However, the 2010 error will remain unless you do the BIOS hack quoted above. As for that, I haven't had a chance to experiment with it myself, nor am I an expert on the issue. (I personally prefer to just change BIOS setting to "resume after 2010 error without pressing Enter" or just use one of the whitelisted hard drives when dealing with a T43 or R52- Fujitsu 120GB or smaller hard drives usually work). You can read the Forum discussions and then decide for yourself about its necessity, safety, and efficacy. I personally find the 2010 error to be merely a harmless annoyance. The only advantage I would see is a slightly faster boot time and one less beep. I'm one who believes in leaving well enough alone.

You may search the Forum for "2010 error" using this tool: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q ... as_qdr=all
You'll find much discussion on the issue.

Best wishes,
Daniel.

How would I be able to format my hard drive without a recovery windows cd?Because I don't currently have one. I plan to upload a ubuntu linux operating system on my hard drive after I have successfully formatted my hard drive with the 2010 error

Once you reformat your hard drive the "windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt ..." error will disappear. I would imagine a bootable Linux installation CD has the option to do a full hard drive format before proceeding with installation just as a Windows XP installation CD does. However, I'm not an expert on Linux or familiar with the installation CD's which are commonly used to install Linux. I'm sure one of the other Forum members will supply an answer to your question soon.

Have a great day,
Daniel.