The real problem is: XP won't start anymore because "hal.dll" is missing - and with it the whole directory "system32", sometimes completely "windows" and very rarely the whole partition XP was on!
In addition to that the partition i was working on (for example: if XP is on D: and i'm watching a movie from F:) sometimes disappears too.

I have an AMD Athlon XP 2000+, an ASUS A7V266 and a Western Digital Caviar WD1200.

All this does not happen on Windows 98 and Linux with the same hardware.

I got the problem when i changed the CPU from t-bird 1333 to XP2000+
my guess is that the CPU is the problem....but if i change mainboard the problem will be gone :( havent changed the cpu back yet...but..
Did u solve the problem yet?

Are you using LILO or the Windows loader?

The lockups are due to some bad hardware drivers/devices. Also could be due in part by sharing too may devices on one IRQ.

The hall.dll file is tough to figure out. I would try the 'Standard PC' Hall for awhile (instead of ACPI) to see if you can get everything working.

Check out Mirosoft KBA #237556 for more information on how to change the Hall file. Also, keep in mind that windows will issue this error message when unable to access the hard drive that Windows XP is running on.

Please keep in mind that NT operating systems use 'WINNT' instead of a 'Windows' directory. In your case, this is so.

The only downfall to changing from a ACPI to Standard PC hal is that you will not be able to use advanced power management options (computer will not shut itself off after Shutdown is selected).

Hope this helps.