PCI Controllers GONE After XP SP2 [Resolved]

[Jez1]

Hi

This has got me baffled. After installing SP2, everything to do with PCI (The controllers, all the cards, everything) has disappeard from the system. Not only that, but Windows refuses to acknowledge their existance.

I know that the problem is software based because when I boot into Win98 there are no problems at all.

Since the problem occured I have Uninstalled the service pack, done a system restore AND re-installed windows, all to no avail.

Any help would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks

Jez

[dglienna]

look in safemode to check for duplicates. delete them (or the single one) from there, and see if a normal startup finds them.

[Ideas Man]

Did you re-install Windows from scratch or not? Try getting newer drivers for your motherboard and/or chipset drivers and see if it works then. Usually that occurs when Windows has no idea what the motherboard is and what it has on it, so if you install the newest chipset drivers, it should be able to detect all the devices.

[Jez1]

Hi

dglienna - Have tried safe mode, but the devices don't appear there either, so it would be hard to remove them.

Ideas Man - I reinstalled over the top of windows, I didn't format the disk or anything.
I'll try to find motherboard etc. drivers, thanks.

[dglienna]

did you try to add hardware. i think it has a PCI section.

[Ideas Man]

Originally posted by Jez1
I reinstalled over the top of windows, I didn't format the disk or anything.

I'd say that's the problem. I advise against doing that anyway, when I did it, it seemed to slow down by a large margin.

[Jez1]

it seemed to slow down by a large margin.

Yes, it did that to me, too.

Finding new motherboard drivers didn't correct the problem.

dglienna - Tried Add Hardware as well, nothing there.


Looks increasingly like the only solution is to reinstall windows from scratch.

OR

Is there a chance that the installation of SP2 was somehow corrupted, screwing everything up, and therefore reinstalling SP2 should solve the problem? Or is that going to make things worse?

Thanks

Jez

[dglienna]

you may have SP2 files from the last installation, but i don't know that it kills PCI hardware. I would vote for a format/install.

[Ideas Man]

You got the slow down thingy too, then a format is the only way, reinstalling XPSP2 won't solve anything.

[dglienna]

and don't install xp and 98 into the same partitions. install 98 first, and xp will detect it to create a dual-boot system. just make sure that there is a different partition for xp

[Ideas Man]

You can't install XP & 98 on the same partition, Windows XP must be installed on its own partition I think. Better yet, don't install 98 at all, just XP.

[Jez1]

I haven't installed XP and 98 on the same partition, they're on separate partitions. For that matter, I had no idea you COULD put two OS's on the same partition, but thanks for the info.

Thanks for the help, looks like a full format is the only way.

Jez.

[Ideas Man]

You can, w/ 98 and ME or 95, but not the NT family, it is highly unrecommended. With the 95/98/ME, you just installed it to a different folder and it worked on the same partition.