New hardware found wizard "help"!

[Casswilf]

Hi gang :-)

 

Can anyone assist please before I dismantle my pc?!

 

EVERY time I fire up my pc (an HP Compaq with XP) I get the oh so helpful new hardware found wizard help box...only I haven't installed any new hardware.. I either click through "cancel" until the pop up disappears or oblige it by going through the motions of "next" until I get the same repsonse of a message saying it hasn't been possible to successfully install my new hardware, not that I HAVE been trying to!

 

Why does the wretched PC keep insisting I have new hardware and then saying it can't do anything about it anyway?

 

Thanks in advance!

Casswilf

[Tony D]

check for problems with your devices.

 

Right click on My Computer and click on Properties. Then Click on Device Manager and check for any yellow or red marks next to the listed devices.

[Casswilf]

aha. Thanks Kelly.

Okay I have a big fat yellow question mark called Other Devices and within that 5 other yellow question mark symbols...all saying unknown device... I guess I just try and delete all of these?!

 

Thanks

[Jelly Bean]

Firtsly unplug any external hardware that is not required for booting the computer.

 

Items such as printer,webcam and so on.

 

Restart the computer and do you now get the found new hardware wizard popup?

 

In device manager right click on each USB item inturn and choose update driver.

 

If the popup has gone then connect one external hardware item at a time testing to see wich may be causing the popup.

 

If you figure out one of the externaly connected hardware is causing the popup,as an example the printer,reinstall the printer software and hardware driver.

[Casswilf]

Hi again,

 

Okay I unplugged everything and rebooted. I still got the wizard help pop up. I went to Device Manager and chose update driver for every '?' USB unknown item.

I then rebooted again before plugging anything at all back in and guess what... wizard help pop up came back and i have another set of 5 '?' USB items in device manager!

 

 

Good one huh?!

[Casswilf]

Hiya,

 

Just putting this one to the top as I still have this problem....can anyone give me any pointers of what I can do?

 

Thanks ever so much

Casswilf

[Jelly Bean]

Sorry babe I been working and went out for the evening with friends.

 

I sugest you uninstall the USB items in device manager then for your model computer download the latest chipset driver that contains your USB updated drivers and see if that works.

[RandyL]

If the Universal Serial Bus Controllers are listed try uninstalling those and rebooting. Make sure ALL USB devices are unplugged first.

 

If the Universal Serial Bus Controllers are listed and you have yellow marks in Other Devices try disabling the other devices not uninstalling them.

 

Like Jelly Bean says it appears to be a driver issue.

[Match]

I went to Device Manager and chose update driver for every '?' USB unknown item.

 

can I just point out that all Update does is check with a Microsoft Data Base to see if there is a newer version of the driver, and If you already have the latest version, It does nothing.

 

If you have a corrupt driver file which sounds most likely you need to remove by ether deleting or uninstalling the old drivers that are corrupt, with the same new drivers that aren't corrupt.

 

Below is a link to the Microsoft Support page on the subject.

 

Advanced troubleshooting tips for general USB problems in Windows XP

[RandyL]

Thanks Match. You're right.

 

Match would uninstalling the device be enough if Windows reloads drivers and the original drivers get reinstalled and they are corrupt? Or would maybe something like uninstalling software help by forcing a different set of drivers or a reinstall of the software is needed? Does that make any sense?

 

Would disabling the device rather than uninstalling it help? I was just wondering if that would stop a reinstallation of corrupt drivers that might keep loading.

 

I was just wondering if a corrupt driver reinstall is causing the issue.

 

I really don't know. That's why I'm asking.

[Casswilf]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for all coming back to me here - bit nervous about doing the reinstall part of this - is it fairly straightforward? I have no question marks or exclamation marks on any of them - I took a screen shot and attach it here (hopefully)

If an idiot can reinstall these fairly okay then I will start uninstalling and switch off !

 

Thanks

Casswilf

screenshot.pdf

[Plastic Nev]

Hi Caswilf, looking at that screenshot and there being no red or yellow marks, hang on till one of the previous guys gets back to you. Don't uninstall anything just yet.

Nev.

[Armageddon]

Hi caswilf

 

Crazy question but do you have a usb hub connected ?

 

dave

[Casswilf]

Thanks Plastic Nev - I won't do anything!

 

Umm Dave/Armageddon.. well now, I did have one yes. But when I finally decided to do something about all these wizard pop ups I took everything out as previous folk here recommended, printer, the hub, anything I had. So no I don;t have that connected anymore... I tried to remember why I even had it and then I remembered that it seems as though some usb ports on the tower don't actually work, being lazy I thought I could get around that by using the hub....

 

Thanks

Casswilf

[Tony D]

Is the wizard still coming up?

[Casswilf]

Hi Kelly - yep afraid so!

it pops up 5 times each time a different message in the wizard help box - the yellow question marks under "other devices" have all appeared again in device manager - locations as follows

 

on Generic- SM/xD-Picture USB Device

on Generic- MS/MS-Pro/HG USB Device

on Generic- SD/MMC/MS/MSPRO USB Dev

on Generic- Compact Flash USB Device

on Generic- SD/MMC USB Device

 

Thanks

Casswilf

[Tootech]

Looking at the latest info you have posted, I think its a card reader that is missing drivers. It will be connected to an internal USB header.

 

The drivers should be on the Compaq site - post your model number if you can't find them and someone should be able to fish them out.

[Match]

Just answering RandyL's Question, this bits for information only.

 

Would disabling the device rather than uninstalling it help? I was just wondering if that would stop a reinstallation of corrupt drivers that might keep loading.

 

I was just wondering if a corrupt driver reinstall is causing the issue.

 

Thing about corrupt driver files is that the ones on the or in the Operating system get Modified every,time you add a new device and if one of the files gets corrupted and points to a wrong registry entry, you get all sorts of problems, Uninstalling them will delete them and when they reload they will be reset to the default values, then as you plug your USB devices back in they will reload the device drivers and modifiy them selves again. hopefully this time getting all the registry Keys pointing to the right places. Unless you have a USB device that's not working correctly or with an error

 

Thanks for all coming back to me here - bit nervous about doing the reinstall part of this - is it fairly straightforward

Yes, surprisingly so, you click the uninstall Button, They disappear, You click restart and windows displays (LOL) the new hardware found notification and installs them Automatically.

 

But as Tootech has already posted, you would then probably do better going to the Compaq site and downloading the driver files from there and Installing them, to replace the Microsoft Generic Drivers.

[Casswilf]

Thank you - the number I found is CZC9038GDN ... just not so sure what I need to to now/the Compaq website is a bit confusing....

[RandyL]

Do you have HP Pavilion dv9038ea Notebook PC

 

If so scroll down to Driver - Storage. You might need the Ricoh 5-in-1 Card Reader Driver.

 

If you have the HP Pavilion Elite m9038hk Desktop PC all I see for XP is HP Software Update.

[Casswilf]

Hey Randy - well..no...it's not a notebook!? I'm real confused as that CZC number was on a sticker on the back of the tower.

ANother stucker on the side has heaps of long numbers but the name seems to be HP Compaq dx 2400 micro tower.

 

Will a s/n or p/n help? Or I have a really long number starting PROMOd2400me7....

 

Thanks!

[Armageddon]

Would opening up the case and removing the lead from the motherboard to the card reader be a possiibility Casswilf ?

[Tootech]

Is it one of these beasts?

 

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/pscmisc/vac/us/product_pdfs/dx2400_data_sheet.pdf

 

The link is the datasheet for that machine (dx2400) you quoted.

[Casswilf]

Tootech - ahhh yes, this is the beast alright.

Armageddon - Opening the case?! ooooh unknown territory for me I'm afraid - with real step by step guides I'd give it a go - if you can promise me I can't do anything awful!

 

Thanks guys :)

[Casswilf]

umm sorry - me again - a friend has suggested I try downloading drivers from the HP website, starting with chispset drivers... I tried this and although managed to save the programme I couldn't run it, kept getting an access denied message - I was then told to work down the list installing all of them until I fixed the problem... here's the link - would you also recommend this?

 

HP Compaq dx2400 Microtower PC- Download drivers and software - HP Business Support Center