bg wrote:
I posted this a few days ago and some kind people said they thought it was
faulty memory. I have replaced the memory in the machine and upgraded it to
512MB. It is very zippy but I still have the same problem. It won't load
drivers for anything. Anyone have any other suggestions? I am going to try
a clean install but am I wasting my time if it is a hardware problem?

Thanks!......

Hi,

I have a strange problem and I want to post this here just to hear people's
opinions. I don't know whether this is a software or a hardware problem.
This is the case...

Have a Dell 2400 Dimension, 2.4 Ghz, 128 MB DDR (I know, too little but I am
going to upgrade this in the process) running XP home. Anyway, I have a
problem that every time I boot the computer, it reinstalls the SAmsung CD-RW.
Goes thru the hardware config, tells me it can't find any drivers for it,
but it shows up in the device manager sometimes with the yellow exclamation
mark, sometimes not. But either way, it still works! That's the first
thing. It also shows in device manager a yellow question mark next to the
graphics card, but the graphics card is listed fine under the display adapter
and there is no display problem. I tried to reinstall the drivers from the
Dell disk and it says it can't find any drivers in the folder they extract
into even tho I can see the driver there. It gets stranger. I tried to
install an HP 1215 psc printer, and I can't install it. Again I think it is
a driver problem. The printer installs with no problem on the other machine
we have which is also a Dell with XP home so I know it's not the printer. It
too shows up in device manager with a yellow mark, when I try to point it and
manually reinstall drivers, it says it can't find any drivers. There are no
other HP products on the machine to interfere and I have installed and
reinstalled it several times with scrubbers and removal from registry. The
final thing is I plugged in a Kingston USB data traveler, it finds the device
but again it says it can't find any drivers for it. This is a plug and play
device and installs fine on the other computer. The computer doesn't seem to
be able to recognise drivers of any kind.

So, my question is, do you think this is likely a hardware problem or a
software problem? I am going to wipe and reinstall the whole system but if
it is a hardware problem, ie the motherboard dieing, I don't want to waste my
time or money buying more memory. I welcome anyone's two cents. Or possible
solutions!

thanks
Wendie


First I'd run CHKDSK /F to make sure hte file system is clean.

I would then try geting new drivers from Dell's support website for your
machine, start with the chipset drivers and go from there. Installing
Dell drivers can be confusing, they extract into numbered folders that
don't give any indication what they are for after extracted, so you have
to pay attention as to what drivers got extracted to what folders.

If that doesn't work then I'd try running SFC/ Scannow. If that still
doesn't work then follow Mike Hall's advice about a repair install. I
tend to recommend repair installs as a next to last resort.

Steve