Fatal Driver (Hal.dll file) Conflict Discovered in Newer HP OS

McGyver

I am reporting on a fatal "Printer Driver Conflict" which I encountered and verified with new versions of Hewlett Packard Pavillion OS involving at least its printer driver groups and erroneous coding affecting the OS's Hal.dll file.

Thus far, it appeares HP has not under taken the proper initiative to correct it. I confirmed it after it manifested itself and destroyed my OS in a Pavillion PC received in early September 2005, and presented itself again in the new 11 CD OS replacement set shipped to me in early November 2005.

The problem exists with two program driver groups that HP includes with its latest Windows XP OS, with the Photosmart driver group, and PSC driver group.

It can occur if you have an HP printer, and when you go to install the driver during PC setup. The OS will not accept your printer's driver, rather, it requires you to accept the OS's newer driver - and there is some bad exe coding that then will destroy the critical Hal.dll file. You will initially notice slow PC speeds, freeze-ups, some boot problems, and failures during printing, and eventually your PC will not boot up at all. At this juncture, boot up tests will reveal a fatal Hal.dll err - which cannot be corrected w/o a full reinstall of your OS, programs, and all data files.

The solution, as I discovered and worked through with HP, is to unstall these two HP printer driver groups from the program menu. The OS will then accept your own existing driver for your printer. But be careful, after I thought these 2 driver groups were uninstalled - they still appeared under the list of OS programs. After clicking "uninstall" from this location, the OS recognized that the program groups were uninstalled, but identified that not ALL of the files were removed - and instructs you how to remove the remaining files.

Hope this might prevent the days of work and lost data I had encountered.

McGyver

After emailing HP's CEO yesturday, a QA rep from Canada telephoned me this morning and shared that HP is aware of the Hal.dll file problem - and referred to it as a BIOS conflict. I asked WHY none of 15 customer support people over the last 3 weeks were aware of this fatal flaw - and he couldn't explain. He CLAIMS he could have shown me a way to use their recovery console CD to reinsert the damaged Hal.dll boot file, rather than format my HD drive and reinstall my entire OS and programs as I was instructed.

This HP rep instructed me where to find a fix-it "patch" on their web site, a "sp26586 series" which I did do today. I suppose I really won't know if this conflict is resolved until - the PC continues to function.

If any of you have any knowledge or experience with this HP OS issue, please post your comments here.

I've heard more explanations and excuses than Carter makes pills. I remain unsatisfied with their Customer Support and PC product quality, and reminded them of a legal remedy consumers can use in California, Section 17200 of the Business and Professions code, for False and Misleading Claims and Advertising (HP's warranty). HP is NOT upholding the terms and conditions of their Warranty, plus such product problems also raise issues of Products Liability defects and Breach of Implied Warranty.

WHAT it going to take to get through to these huge U.S. multi-national corporations, who have taken over and compromised the quality and integrity of the U.S. marketplace, that such business practices are unacceptable? I'd like to go face to face with one of HP's executives on live TV, though I think I'd have a better chance of getting a meeting with Gov. Schwartzenager.

Stephen Dolle
www.diaceph.com

The_Professional

Great, I just bought an hp printer. Thanks for the info, McGyver

McGyver

Once again, Hewlett Packard's PC line is facing OS fatal errors, this time in their widely distributed "Memories Disc Creator" software that is bundled in all of their printer driver software for HP printers and cameras, and within the OS programs of PCs they now offer.

The link below directs to this "sp26273" error:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/g...name=c00047357

It was only two weeks ago that I encountered their fatal HP OS error related to their HP brands of printers. These issues are coming with tremendous surprise, as such fatal errors historicly do not arise within PC OS, but rather within the Windows OS environment. As PC makers such as HP now have modified the traditional Windows into their own bundled system, they have created a "whole new can of worms" not previously experienced. Similarly, HP has not been forthcoming in notifying their users - as I wrote in the original OS error of this post.

Seems that users will have to increase the pressure on HP for better attentiveness to these issues - or suggest that HP stop bundling its HP and parter software in its new OS.