Comment 13 for bug 313573

You can kill hald at login by creating a script, something like this:

#!/bin/bash
echo "password" | sudo -S /etc/init.d/hal stop

save it, and add to the autostart list at MainMenu->System->ControlCenter->Sessions

You will lose the battery meter + the usb drive autoconnect. I use scripts to mount and unmount my external drives, and place their icon onto my desktop.