[the muddler]

Hi
I hope someone can help me with what, to me, is a great mess I have made in my computer (no blame, no excuses - well perhaps a little tolerance of my kackhandness would be appreciated ^_^).

Computer: HP Presario AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 1.77GHz, 1 gig RAM
Operating system: XP sp2
Printer: Epson Photo R245 (USB connected)

It all started with MS Net Framework trying to install every time I started the computer.
I foolishly followed net suggestions to remove various 'stuff' in /windows/system32. Now don't ask me what and why I didn't make a backup or do anything else sensible - I plead being not with it due to gnawing and grinding MS - sigh.

Then when I tried to reinstall the printer - it would no longer work - Windows was trying to install a "USB mass storage peripheral" every time I tried to add the driver. (Oh yes, just to add to your joy, my OS is in French, so the last is a translation.)

Now when I try to reinstall the printer driver, in safe mode, I think it's installed, but I think that the USB connection is not being found.

As you can see, I am in chaos. I can code in (simple) html, I can run up a HiJackIt log, I can usually fix most problems, both mine and those of others, but I know nothing of drivers, printers and USB sockets and USB root hubs (one of the messages suggested I check to it it there).

Please would someone help me? (I'd much rather not have to reinstall my system - I there is so much to saved/reinstall).

Maybe I should become a blond!

[Elvandil]

What is the general state of your USB devices? Do the ports work? Do other USB devices get deteccted and work when plugged in? How does USB look in Device manager?

[the muddler]

Hi Elvandil
Thank you very much for taking up this challenge.

>What is the general state of your USB devices?
>Do the ports work?

Derr, to show you how dumb I am in this area, I've just had to find out that there are USB as well as serial ports - sigh.

>Do other USB devices get detected and work when plugged in?

The scanner is functioning fine - obeying instructions to scan and saving the result correctly to a file.
TomTom is not recognised, wanting new software added.
Lumix camera - ditto.
Canon camera image download is not working. If I plug in and start my camera first,'it' wants me to "Choose CanonCameraWindow for this camera". The 'EOS Utility' does not respond.

Hmm.

>How does USB look in Device manager?
Here's a transcribed report and translation:
*
contrôleurs de bus USB
- concentrateur USB racine
- concentrateur USB racine
- concentrateur USB racine
- contrôleur hôte PCI vers USB standard étendu
- contrôleur hôte USB OpenHCD standard
- contrôleur hôte USB OpenHCD standard
- péripherique inconnu

contrôleurs de bus IEEE 1394
- contrôleur hôte compatible IEE 1394 VIA OHCI

translation:

USB bus controllers
- USB root concentrator
- USB root concentrator
- USB root concentrator
- host controller PCI to USB standard extended
- standard OpenHCD USB host controller
- standard OpenHCD USB host controller
- unknown peripheral

IEEE 1394 bus controllers
- compatible host controller IEE 1394 VIA OHCI
*
I've dared to look at the properties for each of the root hubs and they are all different.

Someone else (sorry, desperately asking for help wherever I can) has suggested that I do a system restore. Maybe I should (once I've learnt what it's about), though I always fear I'll return to some other muddle - sigh.

Hope you can make some sense of this. In the meantime, I've studying 'System Restore'.

Best wishes

[the muddler]

Update, for your information
I have tried four different system update points, and each itme the computer comes back with
"Your computer could not be restored to 'xyz, date, time' system verification point. No change has been made to your computer.

Weird as system restore is not disabled and is set to the maximum (12%) space.

Regards
and Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig