Does the pc support HAL?

[alex_read]

I'm doing the tutorials off the DirectX4VB sites, which are going pretty well, now I've hit this bit of code.
Surely there's a better way to distinquish whether HAL is supported or not!
Have any of you written alternatives to this one?

Direct3D.GetDeviceCaps AdapterName, D3DDEVTYPE_HAL, CapsReturnValue
    
If Err.Number = D3DERR_NOTAVAILABLE Then
    ' Doesn't Support HAL Layer

Thanks!