Network Devices Show under "Unknown"

[Guest]

OK, before you all jump to conclusions about this relating to them being
"unknown devices" please know that that is NOT the case at all. My problem
here is that the "Network Devices" Category in the Device Manager is Missing
in Win XP Home. All the Networking devices, including the 1394 Adapter, the
10/100 Intel NIC, and The Intel WiFi Card, now show up under a category
called "Unknown." The Symbol for it is a grey Diamond and all the networking
devices under it are also grey diamonds with the yellow exclamation point.
If you go into the properties of the device, it gives a Code 31 error. To
reitterate and emphasize again, THIS IS NOT SAYING IT IS AN "UNKNOWN DEVICE!"
IT IS LISTED UNDER A DIFFERENT GROUP CALLED "UNKNOWN" AND THE "NETWORK
DEVICES" CATEGORY IS GONE.

We have tried reinstalling the drivers with some luck. We can get the
10/100 NIC going, though the driver stays listed under the "Unknown." Once
we give it the same driver as before, it can get online and browse through
the onboard NIC. If we uninstall the NIC and then let it re-detect without
showing it the downloaded driver, it will install the base driver and it will
go back to non-function.

I am a PC tech, so you can answer me in PC language and I will understand
you. Here is also things we have tried so we can get them out of the way,
too:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314464
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329050

Basically, what I want to know is How can I get the "Network Device"
Category back and also how can I get the networking running normally again.

I appreciate all your ideas amd thanks for the help!

 

[smlunatick]

OK, before you all jump to conclusions about this relating to them being
"unknown devices" please know that that is NOT the case at all. My problem
here is that the "Network Devices" Category in the Device Manager is Missing
in Win XP Home. All the Networking devices, including the 1394 Adapter, the
10/100 Intel NIC, and The Intel WiFi Card, now show up under a category
called "Unknown." The Symbol for it is a grey Diamond and all the networking
devices under it are also grey diamonds with the yellow exclamation point.
If you go into the properties of the device, it gives a Code 31 error. To
reitterate and emphasize again, THIS IS NOT SAYING IT IS AN "UNKNOWN DEVICE!"
IT IS LISTED UNDER A DIFFERENT GROUP CALLED "UNKNOWN" AND THE "NETWORK
DEVICES" CATEGORY IS GONE.

We have tried reinstalling the drivers with some luck. We can get the
10/100 NIC going, though the driver stays listed under the "Unknown." Once
we give it the same driver as before, it can get online and browse through
the onboard NIC. If we uninstall the NIC and then let it re-detect without
showing it the downloaded driver, it will install the base driver and it will
go back to non-function.

I am a PC tech, so you can answer me in PC language and I will understand
you. Here is also things we have tried so we can get them out of the way,
too:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314464http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329050

Basically, what I want to know is How can I get the "Network Device"
Category back and also how can I get the networking running normally again.

I appreciate all your ideas amd thanks for the help!

Check and update the motherboard drivers. It could be that XP is
having problems with the "IRQ sharing" controls. I know that for me
on my Intel based chipset motherboard, the Intel chipset drivers did
help me once.