Prevent Instal prompt from appearing (XP Prof2002 SP2.,)

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Edited by HansV to replace Word doc with the image it contained

I recently had my base unit back to the vendor as Microsoft – all of a sudden after using the set up for over a year – said the operating system needed to be authenticated.
Something it seems went haywire as the vendor claims there are three drivers missing and the System Restore will go back no more than 29 days. He maintains the symptoms suggest there has been an attempt at a reinstall of Windows but I can say with absolute certainty, that nothing of the kind has been attempted as my daughter and myself are the only users and neither of us have either the software or knowhow to do such a thing. Whether this has anything to do with the missing drivers or not I do not know but a Wizard prompt appears on screen at start up saying something needs installing. If the prompt is related to missing drivers I assume it will constantly appear at every start up till the drivers are installed but I have been told the system will still run (though maybe impeded somewhat) so is it possible to stop the Wizard prompt from appearing till such times as the drivers are restored? Regards SF

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Dave,
1. Why didn’t the vendor reinstall the drivers for you? Or just reinstall Windows for you, if this is what he said was needed?
2. System restore going back only 29 days is not unusual. In fact 29 days is pretty good.
3.Did you try to authenticate the system? No big deal there.

It seems that these are things that your vendor should have done for you.

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Hi Bob, “Why did the vendor not etc. ” …… it’s a long story really but in short, the shop owner is away on holiday leaving a relative in charge who just maybe is not as proficient. Chances are, XP is not as Kosher as made out to be as I was not given any discs with the computer besides, I understand that once a code number is registered / authenticated, it remains valid for the life of the install but why was I expected to re-register after a year of running the system. One suggestion is the code has been found to relate to more than one computer hence the intervention by Microsoft. Don’t know the source of the 25 digit number that was obviously used to re-register / validate but it seems to be working much the same as before except for the Wizard reminder which appears at start up. As for sending a screen-shot of it Bob, that was what I sent with the last post & which, another helper suggests, points to the missing drivers. The vendor has been so helpful, obliging & generous over the years I am reluctant to raise the issue of whether XP is Kosher but he assured me it was all above board and would not run the risk of violating copyrighted stuff as the consequences are too severe. Maybe the owner will take another tack when he returns so I will have to test the waters so to speak. Your point (3) Yes I tired to authenticate the system when the prompt first appeared but could not proceed past the first page as it asked for a 25 digit number which I did not have, I am told it is normally shown on a label stuck to the side of the base unit but there is none and as I have no discs I simply went back to the retailer where I was told to return it for investigation. A couple of hours later it was ready for picking up when the comments were made about the drivers and Sys Restore. Regards D.

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Dave,
I hope you have better luck with the shop owner when he returns. It DOES sound very suspicious to me but maybe he will have an answer for you. If it were me, I would be sitting on his doorstep waiting for his safe return. Also insisting on an authentic CD with the OS on it.
So far as having a label on the back of the unit, that may be so, IF it were an OEM unit from Dell or HP for example. IF it is a “built from scratch” system, there would not be any label. So again, talk to your friendly shop owner.

Have you tried to let the wizard find the drivers for you? According to the screenshot, it is only looking for the standard VGA video drivers. What brand of video card do you have?

Windows will run for a while but it will be in “cripple mode.” Not a good thing.

I hope the shop owner isn’t on an extended holiday. Keep us posted on this.

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Windows will run for a while but it will be in “cripple mode.” Not a good thing.
Does this mean it will give up the ghost after a “While”? If so I shall certainly be paying another visit to sound out the way forward. The computer was part of a consignment which came from a school refit so the software came already installed, hence the (no discs) etc. but one expects a system not to have a time limit woven into the innards which trigger Microsoft to start probing it’s authenticity. Not long after I acquired the computer Microsoft did want to verify the system but it was passed as OK and so it has been for a year but now the water have become turbulent. Yes, the wizard has been activated but it goes on forever and finds nothing and as for what kind of video card is installed I haven’t a clue. Sorry D

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Just as a matter of interest, if you right-click ‘My Computer’ and select properties, what does it show?

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What kind of video card is installed?

Click Start > Run, type

devmgmt.msc

and hit Enter. Device Manager window will open.
On Device Manager, you will see devices marked by yellow question mark, one of them named “Video Controller”.
Right-click it and from pop-up menu select Properties. Device Properties window will open.
Click Details tab and, if necessary (if not already selected) from drop-down list select “Device ID’
You will see a cryptic line like this:

PCIVEN_10DE&DEV_0028&SUBSYS_00031274&REV_114&1246FE7B&0&0008

All that you need is vendor ID (in this example, VEN_10DE) and device ID (DEV_0028).
In this example, vendor 10DE means “nVidia”; device 0028 means “TNT2 PRO”.
You can post it here or use search (for example, google.com) to find a driver (adding keywords driver download XP).

Also you can post IDs for other devices in question.

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Hello Leif, right clicked as you suggested and there is no name where you have superimposed the red rectangle. Now to Kaplinb, Now I think we are cooking with gas… I followed your directions and got the results as shown in the screen shot which I have attached. Though the yellow question mark is not next to “Video Controller” as you suggest. When I clicked the “Details” tab this is the long code that appears: –
PC1VEN_8086&DEV_1040&SUBSYS_100010144&REV_003&61AAA01&0&48. which obviously means something to you but not to me I’m afraid.
Does this yellow question mark identify there is in fact just one driver that is missing & if so, can it be downloaded from the web as no discs came with the computer? Any ideas how it came to float away in the first place. Furthermore, how will this missing driver effect the normal running of the computer please? Regards Dave.

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Intel® 536EP V.92 modem chipset driver for Windows* 2000 and Windows* XP

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Thanks Kaplinb, have downloaded the file will let you know if the wizard still appears at start up. Regards Dave.

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Further to the last post I am pleased to report that the message no longer appears on screen at start up. Cheers all.

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Dave,
Usually an unregistered copy of Windows will run for 30 days and keep nagging you to registeractivate it. After 30 days it will not allow you to log in but you will be able to go into Safe Mode to retrieve files or data. That’s about it.

You can read about activation HERE
Apparently the system you bought from a school retrofit had a “bulk” license number purchased by the school. I don’t think it should have been resold without a new copy of Windows installed in it. ( I’m not 100% on this angle but I THINK that’s the way it is supposed to work )

MS will usually ask you to reactivate it if you make some hardware changes to it in a significant way, that makes it appear to be in a new or different machine. Have you made any additions or changes to it lately?

Go see that vendor. He should make good on this.

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Thanks for the numerous comments they are all appreciated. To jump forward… despite having clicked the “Next” tab (more than once) in the Wizard as shown in my first post and nothing coming of it, because someone asked me what happens when the tab is clicked, I decided once again to click it and minimize it to the task bar as it previously searched for ages with nothing coming of it. BUT, lo and behold, sods law in reverse… a prompt eventually appeared saying the install was finished. Since then when I switch on, the Wizard prompt does not appear so I assume something worked; time will tell. As I mentioned earlier, soon after getting the computer when I tried to download an update Microsoft jumped on the band wagon and demanded I validate the package which was immediately verified as OK. So all went smoothly till a couple of weeks ago when a prompt appeared saying “Because so many hardware changes had been made, a re-validation was required. That’s when I went back to the vendor but as I have indicated, things went somewhat pear shaped because he is still away on holiday and the stand in engineer must have entered another code which -so far- is presenting no problems, especially now that the missing drivers seem to have been installed. As for what major changes supposed to have been made I am completely at a loss because I know of none other than the software for a digital camera which I would not regard as major. The only other download I have had stems from reading post # 698,388 after which [ I ] and I alone, decided to try Real Alternative instead of RP. ** No reflection on Batcher who was simply making a valid point. ** Rather ineptly I uninstalled RP before proving RA which latter caused some problems so I decided to dump RA and download RP as at the first. That’s when my problems really began for I have been unable to install RP to this day, it repeatedly installs to 62% and disconnects from the web. I am in the process of being tutored through a series of moves that will hopefully resolve this problem soon.
Thanks again for the responses, I’ll chip in again if anything fishy or fruitful develops. Regards Dave.

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So sorry, here is the screen shot that I should have attached to my latest post. Dave.

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The device appears to be a modem. Unless you have a dial-up connection to the internet (as opposed to ADSL or cable), you probably don’t need it, so it won’t harm to leave it as it is.

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Thank you Hans, such a sigh of relief to read your reply, yes I am using Virgin Media broadband so it appears I can wipe the matter from my memory and concentrate on the RP issue that still persists in bugging me. [post 698,140] Many thanks Dave.

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