HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED (Also, Activating Win10 on a New Motherboard)

Factual Questions
1

Right off the bat I acknowledge that the problem I’m describing may not be solvable short of new hardware. But nothing ventured, &c&c&c. Anyway …

The system in question is somewhat elderly (an AMD FX processor on an ASUS M5A78L). However, it handled the Win7 → Win10 transition* without missing a beat, and the same went for the semiannual releases. Until Spring 2020 (20H1): after taking an inordinately long time, the system wouldn’t start properly. Booting from media and using the Windows troubleshooter resolved that problem; however, Fall 2020 (20H2) was even worse and had to be backed out. This left me with a system that, while not up to date, was at least functional.

Then a couple of weeks ago, the (SSD) system drive crapped out. When the shop installed the OS on a new drive, they installed a 20H2 image — and somewhat surprisingly, the system works as well as it ever has. With one wee exception: every now and then it throws a BSOD with a frowny-face emoticon and the following:

Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart. We’re just collecting some error info, and then we’ll restart for you.**

nnn% complete

For more information about this and possible fixes, visit Resolving Blue Screen errors in Windows - Microsoft Support

If you call a support person, give them this info:
Stop code: HAL_INITIALIZATION_FAILED

I’ve checked a number of sites which deal with this error, and they all indicate it’s mainly associated with outdated hardware and drivers. What’s odd is that they mention it happening when waking from a sleep state, while in my case it’s happened when I was doing something (most recently, reinstalling a scan utility). The other odd thing is that after restarting, retrying the operation which caused the BSOD tends to succeed. But it still makes me more than a bit nervous about the system’s long-term viability.

So there you have it (and apologies for the wall o’ text, but I would prefer overkill to leaving something out). I guess what I’m looking for is some insight into what might be going on, and how I can mitigate it until such time as I get around to a cpu/mobo upgrade.

Which brings me to the second topic. I understand that Microsoft associates a Win10 license with a particular motherboard (I’ve read that installation burns the license into the BIOS somehow, which I find unlikely but not impossible) and won’t activate the license on a different mobo. To get over that hurdle, most websites I’ve found recommend something like this:

  • Associate the Windows license with a Microsoft account.
  • Replace the motherboard.
  • ???
  • Activation!

Perhaps it’s further indication of mental decline, but I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the third step. It seems to involve something called the “activation troubleshooter,” but the details escape me. Or perhaps it’s something that only makes sense when you do it. So I’m hoping someone has been there, and can give me — or point me to — a step-by-step tutorial.

As always, thanks(!) in advance for any information or insights.

* I hesitate to use “upgrade” when referring to any Microsoft product.
** Liar. It never does restart after it hits 100% complete, and I have to hit the reset button.

2

The first thing I would look into is seeing if your motherboard has a BIOS update. Then check for driver updates for your chipset. Also check out any driver updates or firmware updates for any other hardware you use. Hopefully you’ll be able to get things cleared up.

Another step might be to reinstall* Windows into legacy BIOS mode boot. The exact steps can take a bit to spell out and are slightly different on different computers, but the main concept is that you go into your BIOS/UEFI settings, tell it to use Legacy mode or BIOS mode, and then use that to boot the installation media. It will then install Windows in Legacy BIOS mode.

But, if you do need to replace the motherboard with a newer one (which will almost certainly mean replacing the CPU and memory), then the ??? step is not as difficult as it sounds. Basically, it boils down to typing “Activation Troubleshooter” into the search on the taskbar, and then following the onscreen instructions.

Still, I would only do that as a last resort unless you were already planning to upgrade your computer. Especially right now, when PC parts are expensive due to COVID-19 shortages.

*Since you’d be reinstalling Windows, it would probably be a good idea to do the same steps about saving your activation online as you would if you replaced your motherboard, just in case.

3

The HAL error is usually a driver issue. Check with the manufacturer to see if there are new drivers for your computer.

Also, running the usual health checks (chkdsk /f, sfc /scannow) shouldn’t hurt.

The last resort would be to re-image the computer.

Regarding the licensing:

If you purchase a computer from a manufacturer, they may have purchased an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) key from Microsoft (at a discount). The product code for this key is flashed to the motherboard during the build process and is tied to that motherboard. If you replace the motherboard with a different one, you need to purchase a new copy of Windows (unless the new motherboard has an OEM license attached to it).

If you aren’t using an OEM license (ie you have a retail license), when you activate Windows it will build a profile of your hardware and you will need to reactivate if you make ‘significant’ changes. If you have a retail copy of Windows 10, you should be able to follow the instructions here (or follow BigT’s instructions): Reactivating Windows after a hardware change - Microsoft Support

To find out if you have an OEM or retail copy of Windows, you can do the following:

  1. Open a command prompt
  2. Run the following command: slmgr /dli
  3. After a few seconds, a new window will appear. The second line will contain one of the following words indicating what type of license is installed: OEM, RETAIL, VOLUME
4

@AHarris is correct about OEM versions. If your version is listed by that command as OEM, then you will not be able to associate your license with a Microsoft account.

However, I will point out that, if you upgraded from OEM Windows 7, and never at any point typed in your license code from the sticker on your computer, then Windows 10 will treat the license the same as a retail copy for purposes of saving your activation to a Microsoft account. So it’s highly likely you won’t be listed as having an OEM license.

Also, a correction. You apparently can’t just type “activation troubleshooter” into the search. You have to just type “activation” and press enter, and then in the resulting window choose the “troubleshoot” option.

(If your license is listed as OEM, it is likely you’ll be able to contact Microsoft from the Activation Troubleshooter and they’ll relicense it anyways, as long as it was genuinely just an upgraded component. But this is not guaranteed.)

5

Open the pod bay doors, HAL.

6

It used to be that HAL initialization only happened when you woke from sleep or restarted. But Windows itself is more and more virtualized every year. As for example when you install a scan utility, and the installer runs in a partially virtualized copy of Windows.

Not that I can help you, just explaining why all the old information is wrong.

7

Thank you for the responses — they were very informative and helped clarify the situation. Of course, they also generated more observations/questions.

First, I probably should have said “extremely elderly”: I honestly don’t recall when I built this particular system, but according to the ASUS website the last BIOS and driver updates were in 2015. So it’s probably pushing a couple hundred in computer years, which tends to confirm my suspicion that what I’m seeing is intermittent hardware failure and/or Windows asking the hardware to do something it can’t. So I need to update, preferably if and when prices come down a bit (I have no idea why it never occurred to me that the component supply chain wouldn’t be immune to Covid disruptions).

As to the type of license, slmgr gave me this:

Name: Windows(R), Professional edition
Description: Windows(R) Operating System, OEM_DM channel
Partial Product Key: ●●●●●
License Status: Licensed

If I understand correctly — which I try not to assume is the case — “OEM_DM channel” means that the current license cannot be moved to another motherboard. I do have the pre-crash license key, and theoretically I can change it within Windows; but my previous experience with trying to resolve Microsoft license issues make me fear that trying to do so will lead to something like “Invalid, license already in use” (with the same thing happening when I try to change it back to what it is now), followed by a phone call which can only end in tears. So if someone could indulge me with suggestions on the best way to proceed, it would be much appreciated. In the meantime, I’ll stumble along and try not to do anything radical.

Aside from that, this thread topic seems to be resolved. Again, my thanks to all who have replied.