3Com NIC driver and utility causing BSOD and unstartable OS

[news.rcn.com]

UPDATE:
If you unplug the NIC and plug in a Buffalo (as an example) card, even with
the 3Com utility running, you can connect to the Internet immediately and
without problems using the Windows XP internet connection utility.

If you then put the 3Com card back in, you can't connect at all: Either
directly or by rebooting and letting the card and utility set themselves up.
You get "DHCP SERVER ISN'T REACHABLE" followed by a BSOD

You then re-boot and find that this 3Com driver has somehow corrupted
NTOSKRNL and the whole computer won't start in any way or at all, either in
safe mode or normally: It get about three seconds past the 'choose OS
screen': Then stops.

I suppose I should report this to Driverguide.com and then report back if
3Com will cooperate in repairing the damage their driver and utility seems
to have done

 

[news.microsoft.com]

This erroneous error message (which obviously doesn't mean what it says) can
be easily cured by booting off an install disc to the Restore Console and
running bootcfg /rebuild and following the instructions (followed if
necessary by chkdsk /r and possibly /p)

Don't know why the 3Com driver would do this or why the company wont respond
or assist when their driver both wont work AND causes this catastrophic
damage to a whole OS!