hal.dll Problem - ' Windows root\system32\hal.dll '

Sometime after installing GRUB if you start Windows, it may give following error :
"
Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.
"

Most of the time I found that, though this error asks us to reinstall hal.dll actually that is not the issue.

What you should try first is :
1. Boot from XP CD ROM
2. Enter to the Recovery Mode. You will be end up with C:\Windows\
3. now go upwards to c:\
4. Rename your Boot.ini. To do this you should type "rename boot.ini boot.ini.bak"
5. type : "bootcfg /rebuild" - This will analyze and rebuild your boot.ini. It may ask for identifier (Give "Windows OS") and the order (give "1")
6. Thats all, recovery is done. Now type exit and reboot your system. Now your Windows should work properly



If above solution doesnt help, you may try this :
1. Boot from XP CD ROM
2. Enter to the Recovery Mode. You will be end up with C:\Windows\
3. Now type : expand d:\i386\hal.dl_ c:\windows\system32\hal.dll (Here D: - CD ROM Drive and C: is the windows installation directory)
Try this. This didnt work me much. But may help to you guys.

Recover Linux GRUB - In Dual boot (Windows and Linux)

When we have both Windows and Linux in one computer (in dual OS mode)... If you install XP again, the Linux's boot loader will be overwrittn. In those cases you may need to recover the GRUB again.
To recover the GRUB follow these steps (These were helped me, hopefully to you too :) )

1. Put your RedHat CD 1
2. In the linux prompt type "linux rescue"
3. Follow the instructions (You may need to select language and various other things) - It also search for the existing Linux installation and let you know
4. You will end up with ‘sh#’ prompt. There type "chroot /mnt/sysimage/" and enter
5. Then type "grub-install /dev/hda"
6. Type "reboot"

These should work with RedHat family distribution. But it may also work with other distributions too.

Thats all. Now your Linux boot loader should work and you should be able to go to Linux and Windows.

Totally lost

Thought that the post is tooo much...
So deleted...
Sorry...

இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் - Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali..

உங்கள் எல்லோருக்கும் உளங்கனிந்த இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்... வாழ்வில் என்றும் ஒளிவீசட்டும்...

அன்புடன்
சர்வேஸ்

Online divorcee jailed after killing virtual hubby - Not funny

A 43-year-old Japanese woman whose sudden divorce in a virtual game world made her so angry that she killed her online husband's digital persona has been arrested on suspicion of hacking, police said Thursday.

The woman, who is jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his identification and password to log onto popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in mid-May, a police official in northern Sapporo said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged, but if convicted could face a prison term of up to five years or a fine up to $5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" raise and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting against monsters and other obstacles.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married, and killed the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his beloved online avatar was dead.

Source : http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/online-divorcee-jailed-after-killing-virtual-hubby/1259111

Grid leads sysadmin to 13M-digit prime number

October 6, 2008 (Computerworld) An IT systems administrator used a grid of computers supplied by volunteers at the University of California, Los Angeles, to find the largest known prime number.

The discovery of the 13-million-digit number earns UCLA employee Edson Smith and/or his employer half of a $100,000 prize from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The other half of the prize goes to charity.

The discovery is part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS), a 12-year-old project that uses computers provided by volunteers to find large prime numbers. The EFF prize is for the discovery of the first prime number with more than 10 million digits.

A prime number is a whole number that can be divided only by one and itself. Mersenne prime numbers are a class of primes named after Marin Mersenne, a 17th century French monk who studied the rare numbers.

The newly found prime number is 12,978,189 digits long. If printed out, it would run 30 miles long, Smith noted.

The calculations to find the number were done using time on 75 Windows XP-based Dell desktop PCs donated by 75 students and others on the campus. Each computer ran software that GIMPS created for the task.

Very large prime numbers "are very rare and can only be discovered through computing power," Smith said. "It's really about the power of the grid."

The discovery marks the eighth prime number to be discovered at UCLA. In 1952, UCLA professor Raphael Robinson discovered five Mersenne primes that are said to be the first ones found using computers.

GIMPS is now offering up to $150,000 for the discovery of the first 100-million-digit prime number

Source - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=327573&source=NLT_NHD&nlid=105

நற்றிணையிலிருந்து... - From Natrinai

362. பாலை

வினை அமை பாவையின் இயலி, நுந்தை
மனை வரை இறந்து வந்தனை; ஆயின்,
தலை நாட்கு எதிரிய தண் பத எழிலி
அணி மிகு கானத்து அகன் புறம் பரந்த
கடுஞ் செம்மூதாய் கண்டும், கொண்டும்,
நீ விளையாடுக சிறிதே; யானே,
மழ களிறு உரிஞ்சிய பராரை வேங்கை
மணல் இடு மருங்கின் இரும் புறம் பொருந்தி,
அமர் வரின், அஞ்சேன், பெயர்க்குவென்;
நுமர் வரின், மறைகுவென்-மாஅயோளே!
உடன்போகாநின்ற தலைமகன், தலைமகட்குச் சொல்லியது.
                               -மதுரை மருதன் இள நாகனார்

(கரிய நிறம் கொண்ட என் காதலியே, உற்சாகம் சிறிதும் இன்றி ஒரு பொம்மையை போல்
உன் தந்தையின் நிலத்தை விட்டு நான் கூறிய வார்த்தைக்காக கடந்து வந்தவள் நீ .
முதல் புயலின் காரணமாக மேகம் பொழியும் குளிர்ச்சியான மழை இந்த பரந்த விரிந்துள்ள  காடுகளுக்கு அழகு சேர்கின்றது, இங்கே இருக்கும் முதையை நோக்கி அவற்றை பிடித்து சிறிது நேரம் விளையாடு….
நான் சிறு யானைகள் உறுஞ்சிய பருத்த அடியை உடைய வேங்கை மரத்தின் மணற் பரப்பினையுடைய, அதன் பெரிய பின்புறத்தில் மறைந்துகொள்கிறேன்… கள்வர்கள் யாரும் போரிட வந்தால் அஞ்சாமல்
 போரிட்டு அவர்களை துரத்தி அடிப்பேன்….. உன் உறவினர் யாரும் உன்னை தேடி வந்தால் நான் மரத்தின் பின் பகுதியில் ஒளிந்துகொள்வேன் !)

English Translation

You walked stiff as a puppet
as you left your father's land.
Now, here on the expanse of the meadow
made lovely by the clouds pouring down their cool rain
in the first strom of the the season,
see the scarlet beetles,
pick them up,
play with them a bit.
I will go to the sandly place behind the great-trunked venkai tree
three
whose bark young elephants have rubbed smooth.
If men come to fight me,
I will not be afrais, I will turn them back.
But if your people come,
I will hide,dark one.

Poet : Maturai Marutan Ilannakanar

Translated by George L Hart

(An interesting poem from Narrinai, here the Talaivan(hero) elopes with  Talaivi(heroine). Talaivi is unhappy leaving her fathers place but on
insistence of the Talaivan , she elopes with him.  The Talaivan says that if anyone tries to come and fight with him for the reason he has
eloped with Talaivi he would stand and fight with them and chase them away. He also says he would prefer to hide rather than fight her
relatives who have now become his relatives. For Talaivan the eloping is equivalent to the marriage, so he considers its a sin to fight off
his own relatives. )

நன்றி : Tamil Heritage Foundation Google Group  -  http://groups.google.com/group/minTamil/browse_thread/thread/48ab86a595c9249b