I am trying to install a NIC into a desktop computer running XP-Home, it connects to the Internet via a USB cable modem, but I want to network it with a laptop running XP-Pro so that I can share the Internet connection. My problem is that when I reboot after physically installing the NIC I get the following message in the ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ window: <Cannot Install this Hardware. There was a problem installing this hardware: Ethernet Controller An error occurred during the installation of the device. The data is invalid> This is before I have tried to install the manufacture’s drivers. In the Device Manager after this is an ‘unknown device’: network card. I have tried to install the drivers from the installation floppy to no avail. I have tried another PCI slot, I have removed the redundant internal modem and tried the NIC in the same slot as that; still the same result. Someone suggested I rename the Driver cab file in the i386 folder and reinstall it from the installation disk and reboot after deleting the offending NIC from within Device Manager; I couldn’t delete it, and had just the same message when rebooting. I have also tried this by physically removing the NIC. I have even tried the same NIC in another machine running XP-Pro and it installed with no problems, so I know the problem isn’t the NIC. Sorry the message is so long, I just don’t know what else to try, any ideas??? catspaws

catspaws, try this... remove the card and remove any traces of the drivers that you have tried to install. then reinstall the drivers prior to installing the card.you may have to open the driver files and drag and drop to get them in. Then shut down your pc and install the card and see if windows will accept it then, with the found new hardware wizard good luck, rc

Thanks rc, I did try to locate the drivers on the manufacturer's floppy, but as it wasn't clear as to which file they were located in (I searched through each file on the floppy) I wasn't sure what to try to copy. I have managed to 'fix' the problem however by searching the other messages on Computing.net, it seems to be a issue with 'permissions' in the registry. Many thanks for taking the time to help me though. catspaws

I have had the same driver installation problem with IEEE1394 Firewire card and SoundBlaster Audigy 2 on Windows 2000 Found the solution helping me on http://www.staudio.de/kb/english/datainvalid/ Has solutions for both Windows XP and Win2k.

Thanks Joakim, I found my solution on: http://www.xtra.co.nz/help/0,,615 6-1359658,00.html this page will give you step-by-step instructions. catspaws

does anybody know how to fix this for an hp printer? (specifically an hp 672c)