Found New Hardware: Network Controller

[hikermann]

WIN XP HOME - Windows opens @ bootup, and "Found New Hardware: Network Controller" dialog shows up; have no idea to what it is referring; attempt to do the update or whatever it's asking for; always comes up with a negative response.

Go into Device Manager and there it is -- the only yellow question mark; attempt to open or go to properties and everyone is all innocent, oh-no-we-know-nothing-about-this-we-have-no-information ... dah-dah-dah.

Since I've never been an accomplished seer related to anything Windows -- which MSoft obviously believes is a requirement of using its products, I have no idea why this annoying You Have New Hardware business continues to intrude. Deleting @ Device Manager changed nothing.

So ... is there truly a treasure at the end of this hunt? Or, since in typical MS fashion, the "error message" gives absolutely no useful information, is there someone out there who might enlighten me about how to be done with this thing?

Many thanks!

 

[rclarke250]

warming up the ol' crystal ball, because not a lot of information to work with. Are you saying that when you locate the item in device manager, and then go to details, and click the box where it says description, and choose hardware id's you don't get something like this PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168&SUBSYS_81681849&REV_06? Because this will tell us that it is a gigabit enet adapter from realtek and the chipset used, and the driver needed. Now if you can still get on the internet, and have no idea why there is another network adapter trying to get installed, and you know it is not needed because everything is working as it should, it could be malware. Instead of deleting the offending device, try disabling it, and then investigate the system for malware, and hijack software.

People it would really help out those of us trying to give you some information about what might be happening in the computer, if you didn't treat giving us information as if it were management handing out praise.

 

[cdogg]

@rclarke250
Well, I would argue that if hikermann knew to look for the hardware ID in the first place, he would wouldn't be here asking for help!

@hikermann,
In the example above, you could google the first part of the hardware ID up to the 2nd ampersand (&) - so for instance, "PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168".

Good chance you'll find what it is and a driver you can download. But first, if this is a PC from a major manufacturer (HP, Dell, etc), you should probably search their support site for your model number which will get you to a list of compatible XP drivers. It would be a good time to update as many as you have time for.

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[hikermann]

Thanks for the responses. Searching the PCI/VEN shows it related to Linksys, with some sort of association with Broadcom -- neither of which are on my computer; nothing in Add/Remove or in RegEdit ... so I remain at the well-there-you-have-it stage ...

 

[edfair]

Granted that there are instances where XP misidentifies stuff it generally is pretty good at not leading you down a primrose path.

Is this something that has just started? It might also help if you could describe the hardware.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[cdogg]

Yes, please provide us the make/model of the PC. If it's custom-built, then the make/model of the motherboard would help. Also, I assume you don't have any add-on network cards sitting in a PCI slot.

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[rclarke250]

or anything plugged into the usb that could emulate a nic, like a wifi enabled sd card in a card reader.

 

[hikermann]

About ten or so years ago I had Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter with Speed Booster (WMP54GS) installed, which included a little USB antenna at the back of my PC tower; hadn't used it for about the last eight or so years, but the antenna remained; no other Linksys stuff was loaded in as I'd gotten a new hard drive, etc., and I never reloaded it; this "Found New Hardware" business started up after I took out the antenna the other day -- I'd gotten a HotSpot and so figured I might as well get rid of the antenna. Now my computer seems to miss it terribly ....

Does this help any?

Thanks again.

 

[edfair]

I could see XP deleting the adapter when the antenna was removed. And then finding the adapter on the next reboot but unable to complete installation.

That is a network card. Installation (per manufacturer's site) says install drivers first, then card.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

I don't think the card "knows" whether its antenna is attached or not. So no deletion or re-detection after antenna removal/installation. Willing to be 5 fake dollars.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[rclarke250]

Not a usb antenna, just a standard antenna for the radio on the wifi card, if not using the card, just remove it from the pc, the nags about found hardware will be gone. No idea why it found the device now, and wants so bad to install the driver for it. Or perhaps when removing the antenna, it rocked the card in the slot, and now the machine sees it as a new device, because it temporarily lost connection to the bus, and now it "sees" it again.

 

[goombawaho]

The OP mentions a "Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adapter with Speed Booster (WMP54GS)" and I have one of these. I can guarantee that removing or adding the antenna does nothing to the device except worsen/improve reception. Hopefully, had it been a USB NIC, it would have been removed by now and "problem solved".

rclarke250's answer seems the most likely explanation. Simplest thing to do if not needed is remove physically from computer OR disable in device manager.

I'd gotten a HotSpot and so figured I might as well get rid of the antenna.

I don't understand this. If you got a hotspot (meaning exactly what - clarification) don't you still need your wireless adapter?



"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[kjv1611]

Deleting @ Device Manager changed nothing.

I'm assuming you still haven't resolved. If you're able to browse the web, do what you need to do, but just getting this annoyance, then DISABLE, NOT DELETE, the item under Device Manager, and go on about your life.

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

[goombawaho]

That's too simple - avoid the problem vs. solving it. Some of us are anal-retentive and can't live without perfection, i.e. snuffing the problem instead of putting a rug over it. But for a stress free life - that's better advice.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[hikermann]

Thanks to you each for your suggestions.

Did the DISABLE and the issue has disappeared -- whether such action is solving or avoiding the problem I shall leave to greater minds than mine to concern themselves with. To my rather limited technical mind, disabling -- in this instance -- is solving the problem. Now we can all move on to more exciting pursuits.

So, again, thanks folks!

 

[goombawaho]

Let's call it avoiding the problem, but not solving. In this case, if you're happy, we don't care.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[kjv1611]

I have an instance, personal, where disabling is actually solving the issue. But that's pbbly not the case here. In my situation, with an Abit motherboard. I am running Windows 7 now, and Abit's drivers don't support Windows 7 - they jumped out of the motherboard business altogether. So I had one useless piece of the motherboard by them which did not have a good driver that would work on Windows 7. I looked and tried finding alternative drivers and such, but no go. So after a short while, just gave up, and figured I'd probably end up disabling he feature anyway, and disabled it. I've been much the happier. I will confess, though, that whenever I look at the device manager on that machine (pretty rare now), that one catches my eye, and bugs me for a whole .0001 microseconds.

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57