Device installation problems after XP reinstall

Hello, I've reached the end of my tether with this problem, hopefully someone has some suggestions.

A few months back the battery died on my notebook causing a progressive series of problems ultimately leading to a restoration if XP from the original disc image I'd taken after purchase (it is an Acer Aspire) - I tried everything along the way to avoid doing this, but got no where.

Anyway, fast forward a few months to now and I've been living with several problems. First and most significant is the device installation problems, which I mostly notice through USB connections. Every device I link up claims to have not passed Windows testing, I continue the installation and everything works out, until recently when some things (like my Canon camera) just won't install.

If it has installed correctly it seems to be fine, but if it is new, then I have to go through the installation process again, even with things like USB drives that shouldn't need to. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the USB Host Controllers as recommended by Microsoft, but get the same problems.

No errors occur the device manager. The USB Host Controllers are Intel 82801G (ICH7 family), listed as 27C8, 27C9, 27CA, 27CB and 27CC in the device manager. They all show driver 7.2.2.1007, I have not been able to deduce whether this is the most recent or not.

I'm running Windows XP Home Edition SP3, can provide any other information.

Hopefully someone has some new suggestions, because I'm all out!