Problems installing Boot Camp under Leopard

Several users have reported problems installing Windows XP through Boot Camp under Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). In some cases, users are presented with the error "hal.dll (Hardware Abstraction Layer) Missing or Corrupt" or a simple "Disk Error"

MacFixIt reader Skip writes:

"I tried to install windows every way imaginable; convert the partition to NTFS, leave it untouched or delete it and create an NTFS partition and I am still unable to install Windows XP."

There are a few potential solutions to this problem:

• Reformat As described in Knowledge Base article #306504: "After creating a Windows partition in Boot Camp 2.0 in Mac OS X 10.5, then rebooting from the Windows XP installer CD, be sure that you format the Windows partition before continuing with the rest of the Windows XP setup process. Important: Do not use the option named "Leave the current file system intact (no changes)." In other words, for instance: use Boot Camp to partition the drive as FAT32, then follow the instructions to begin the Windows XP install, and when prompted, reformat the partition with the utility as FAT (FAT32).
• Update EFI In some cases, however, users are not being prompted to reformat. The problem may be out-of-date EFI. Make sure that you have the latest revision for your system, available from Apple's download page (search for EFI).
• Modify Windows XP CD As described by Apple Discussions poster Talez: check to see if there is a file named "winnt.sif" inside the I386 folder on the Windows XP CD. If it exists, follow these instructions to rebuild the Windows XP CD. Talez says "Skip steps 2 and 3 (since you already have SP2 built in) and remove the 'winnt.si' file from the I386 folder before going on to step 4."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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