How to fix HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED error in Windows 8 installation?


In this post, you can find my Windows 8 32-bit and 63-bit installation experience and the problems I encountered during the installation including the HAL_INITIALIZATION__FAILED error. Both Windows Virtual PC and VMWare Player showed the same error for 32-bit installations, but the error messages were different for 64-bit Windows 8 installation.

This article talks about the errors I got during Windows 8 installation and my failed attempts to install Windows 8. if you like to know how I successfully installed Windows 8 developer preview, read step by step instructions to install Windows 8.

Windows 8 32-bit installation error: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED


Few hours back, I wrote my Windows 8 64-bit installation experience on a Windows Virtual PC. I could not complete the installation because the installer incorrectly reported that I do no thave a 64-bit processor. Since I could not figure out how to make Windows 8 know that my PC is a 64-bit PC, I switched to 32-bit Windows 8.

I created a new virtual PC using the Windows virtual PC and mounted the ISO image of 32-bit Windows 8 developer preview build. I started the installation hoping I will not be get in to the same problems that I faced with 64-bit Windows 8. I was right, obviously, the 64-bit incompatibility error did not happen. But another annoying error came up that says:

Your PC ran in to a problem that it couldn't handle,and now it needs to restart.

You can search for the error online: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED




Here is a nice blue screen with the error:


Well, I don't have a problem in restarting if that resolved the problem. But unfortunately, a restart did not make a difference.

My next thought was, it may be the Windows Virtual PC that is causing issues with Windows 8. So, I thought of trying VMWare Virtual Player instead of Microsoft Virtual PC. I downloaded and installed VMWare Player, but it gave me the exact same error for the 32 bit Windows 8 installer.

Installing Windows 8 64-bit on VMWare Player


My next attempt was to install Windows 8 64-bit on the VMWare Player. Unfortunately, that attempt also failed with the following error:

Windows failed to load because a required file is missing, or corrupt.

Here is a screen shot of the Windows 8 installation error I got with VMWare Player:
Windows 8 64-bit installation error with VMWare Player

Okay, I think I need to sit, relax and figure out what exactly is wrong. I will come back and update what went wrong and how I resolved the error.




Article by Tony John
Tony John is a professional blogger from India, who started his first Weblog in 1998 at Tripod.com. Tony switched to blogging as a passion blended business in the year 2000 and currently operates several popular web properties including IndiaStudyChannel.com, Techulator.com, dotnetspider.com and many more.

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Comments

Guest Author: smartboyhw25 Feb 2012

Okay, I've tried to install the Windows Developer Preview in the Virtual Machines, and here's the result.
Windows Virtual PC: Fail(HAL_INITIALZATION_FAILED):Hard disk failure
VMWare softwares:all fine
VirtualBox: Fine for a few times, but then a a critical error.
On that reason, please use VMWare Workstation 8!

Guest Author: DNP01 Mar 2012

I tried to install Win 8 on a blank HDD on which I first loaded Vista. I got the error that the computer needs to restart, and I restarted it. After about 3 minutes, I got an message that said something to the effect that "something happened to stop the installation and we are not sure why." It then reverted back to Vista. As I mentioned, Vista is the only other thing on this HDD. I have plenty of memory, but the computer itself is about 5 yrs old.

Guest Author: C Goto20 Dec 2012

Nobody is likely to read this post; but here it is anyway.

I have a (240Gig) laptop with a clean install of Vista 32 bit which I very recently upgraded to Windows 8 Pro (32-bit).
Easy.

I have had my hard-drive fail in the past so I got a new BIGGER hard drive (640Gig) and used Windows 8 CLONE Back-up (or whatever its called [I type this in a Win 7 laptop]),

I also did a Win 8 RECOVERY Disc.

HOWEVER

When I `swopped` the hard drives to boot the same clone on the same laptop, it fails with an error message;-
1st;- you have no operating system installed)
2nd;- With Boot recovery in; it tells me the content of the drives but tells me I cannot boot up and gives this error message;- 0x80042414

It would be nice if Microsoft gave instructions in ordinary English for ordinary English-speaking people to follow; rather than `in-house tech terminology that isn`t exactly correct`.

They know how to crush the spirit of Christmas out of you.

Guest Author: ajay30 Oct 2014

My HP laptop is corrupted . Error code is 0xc0000138 and another one is 0xc0000001. How to solve this problem>? Plz reply.



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