You can download Ubuntu from http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop and put it on a flash drive (2 GB or greater), then boot from that. This will allow you to copy any data you want to save. If you need another DVD/CD, you can buy another internal one for around $20 or an external one for around $30 and boot from that.
Good luck.
Running Windows XP Home edition on a Dell XPS 4700. I was getting messages earlier about a file missing (and i didn't do anything because Windows was working fine), but now Windows won't boot up and I get the following message: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: <Windows root>\System32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file."
I tried starting in Safe Mode and all of the other options (including "Last known good configuration") available after pressing F5 upon boot up but I received the same message.
I could not find my original Windows XP CD so I downloaded one from a file sharing program and burned it onto a CD. However, when I inserted the CD and tried to reboot I still received the same message.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Oishi

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