HELP - Can't install new hardware/drivers!!

[Guest]

I recently got an iPod. When I plugged it into my 2.0USB card, my computer
recognizes that something is attached, as it makes a noise. However, when
the iPod software prompts me to attach the iPod to configure it, the computer
is unable to recognize anything. When I manually go the the Control Panel,
Install Hardware, the iPod is listed (as it was identified by the software
CD), but the icon is a yellow question mark and there is a little exclamation
point over the corner of the question mark. When I click on it and try to
install, the computer is unable to locate the appropriate driver, either on
the CD, the system or on the internet.

I thought perhaps the problem was using USB instead of firewire, so I bought
an Adaptec 4300 I1394 firewire card and put it into my computer. However,
now I can't install the card! I get the same problem, inability to find the
driver and a question mark and exclamation point in New Hardware in control
panel. Is this something that can be fixed without re installing Windows XP.
Any advice or guidance on where to look for advice would be appreciate. For
those that have read this, thanks for taking the time.

 

[Guest]

First off...you are an administrator on this machine,
right (assuming Windows 2000 or XP)? If you're just a
regular user (you user is not listed as a member of the
Administrators group) then you can't install new hardware.

Some drivers need to not have the item listed in device
manager before you install them. The iPod driver sounds
that way. I'd detach the device from your machine (unplug
it), start the driver install, then when it says to
connect the device plug it in.

As for the firewire card, you did put the driver CD/disk
in when Windows said it wanted to install the device (and
said it was going to search for drivers...since it didn't
have one already). If that didn't work, then maybe
there's a program to run on the media that will install
the driver. Finally the company might have been dumb and
not put the drivers in a place where Windows would look
for them, so you might have to tell windows that you'll
tell it where to find the driver. Look for a directory or
file name that seems to relate to Windows and your version
number (either 95/98/ME/9x or NT/2k/XP). And look for an
INF file (they are information files that tell Windows
what files and settings a device needs). That's the file
you point Windows at.

And I assume you read both manuals for these devices.
Often they'll say exactly what to do, step by step, to
install their device.