"Found New Hardware" Won't Stop Booting from Non-Digitally Signed Software

I purchased an inexpensive tv tuner from a very well-known off-price
hardware site. The device got a few negative reviews but generally
positive.

One of the negatives said the software completely "destroyed" XP, and
that the user had to reinstall. While I did not proceed with
installing this piece of garbage once the warning that it wasn't
digitally signed appeared, and while an Error Check found a slew of bad
sectors immediately afterward that it had to repair--and while I
removed a Sabrent tv tuner.exe file from Prefetch--I still get the
Found New Hardware "routine" every time Windows boots, with not one but
two balloons: I have "New Media," and I have a "New USB device" to
install. Then the Found New Hardware program launches, and I have to
cancel it.

My laptop was just to the service center for an unrelated reason, where
the BIOS was updated. I'm sick about buying this garbage and the
non-response of the vendor when I contacted them for technical support
regarding uninstallation.

If anyone could tell me how to get the Found New Hardware program from
launching, I'd be extremely appreciative. Thank you.

mutefan@yahoo.com wrote:

> I purchased an inexpensive tv tuner from a very well-known off-price
> hardware site. The device got a few negative reviews but generally
> positive.
>
> One of the negatives said the software completely "destroyed" XP, and
> that the user had to reinstall. While I did not proceed with
> installing this piece of garbage once the warning that it wasn't
> digitally signed appeared, and while an Error Check found a slew of bad
> sectors immediately afterward that it had to repair--and while I
> removed a Sabrent tv tuner.exe file from Prefetch--I still get the
> Found New Hardware "routine" every time Windows boots, with not one but
> two balloons: I have "New Media," and I have a "New USB device" to
> install. Then the Found New Hardware program launches, and I have to
> cancel it.
>
> My laptop was just to the service center for an unrelated reason, where
> the BIOS was updated. I'm sick about buying this garbage and the
> non-response of the vendor when I contacted them for technical support
> regarding uninstallation.
>
> If anyone could tell me how to get the Found New Hardware program from
> launching, I'd be extremely appreciative. Thank you.
>

Caveat emptor. The typical way of removing these balloons is to
identify the device(s) in question by its Windows device ID or
its PCI/VEN code, perhaps through Device Manager. The next step
is to do manual edits of the Windows Registry in order to remove
all the renmants along with their files from the hard drive. Do
this if there is no system restore point prior to installation of
the new hardware. If this fails, a Windows re-install looms on the
horizon.

Ghostrider wrote:
>
> Caveat emptor. The typical way of removing these balloons is to
> identify the device(s) in question by its Windows device ID or
> its PCI/VEN code, perhaps through Device Manager. The next step
> is to do manual edits of the Windows Registry in order to remove
> all the renmants along with their files from the hard drive. Do
> this if there is no system restore point prior to installation of
> the new hardware. If this fails, a Windows re-install looms on the
> horizon.

Thanks, much! I found an "unknown device" (with one of those fat
yellow question marks) in the Device Manager, removed it, and so far,
the Found New Hardware balloons have stopped. Dear God have I learned
my lesson!