If the driver package/INF file isn't listed by pnputil, i would also GUESS it's OK to remove those extra files from the Driver Store BUT the key word here is GUESS. This is my best guess. I certainly don't say it with certainty that it's OK and no problems might occur if you remove them

So if you decide to remove the files, do so at your own choice and own risk (and of course be prepared for the worst, just in case)

btw... I don't know what type of drive image backup software you might use but speaking as one who often likes to "tweak" my own computers (and learn from doing so) I'd suggest you use imaging software that can create "incremental" backups of the drive image (I use Acronis True Image)

• Of course, you want to create a drive image as backup before doing any Windows/driver/etc. tweaks you're not 100% sure of
• I find that using image backup software that can create incremental backup images saves both time and disk space because they can incremental backups (not just full drive images each time)

In any case, g'luck! Let us know how it turns out

Hahaha, Its OK, I won't reach out and try and grab ya if deletions don't work.

The key here is that the computer now works fine in all aspects other than these drivers. If I delete them manually, then only registry entries may be left over and these can be cleaned out by a registry cleaner. If the computer continues to work after the cleanup then I am rather safe. If rebooting works then I am 90% home.

As for imaging, the drive is partitioned to contain the OS in one part and data in all the other parts. It all goes on 1 or 2 DVDs and I 'm not sure incremental backups make much sense for OS parts. I'll get back to you if it all falls apart. Otherwise, thanks very much for the URL to that MS Technet article; that saved the day. It also points out just how complex the driver system is in Windows. I still have not found a tool for XP similar to pnputil.

Bad news. The laptop is dead.
I tried imaging a partition on the hard drive. I thought I succeeded but it failed on the recovery and in the process destroyed the boot partition. I then tried the factory state recovery DVDs that I had made when I first bought the laptop. They failed part way through.
Now I am stumped.

Hmmmm. I wonder if the drive itself might have failed?? Otherwise, I'm stumped as well

I don't know of any driver cache tools for XP either.

But i can mention another useful MS tool for Windows Device Management and reporting/configuring Device Manager data. Don't know if you've ever used / played with devcon tool?

• I'd only recommend it for the intermediate to advanced user familiar with Windows device data (sounds like you are )
• It's a command line level interface to Device Manager from MS. (But devcon provide LOTS more detail and driver info then DevMgr does)
• The link i provided above is about XP but devcon also work on Vista and Windows 7 (be sure to run it from a command prompt with Admin rights)
• Do a bit of googling and you'll find far more documentation and examples about using devcon commands, what they can do and how to use them

And g;luck with your problematic computer!

Nope. Have never used devcon. I wil try after I get the laptop.

What failed was the Clonezilla software. Its been reliable for for the desktops, but not the laptop it seems.

Also, the Recovery DVDs I made were perhaps from a previous laptop, that I traded back for a better model. (The CDs are marked as Vista Basic and I was using Home Premium.) I was rushed at the time and did not make Recovery CDs for the current one. The other possibility is that I made the CDs and then repartitioned the drive. And then did not image that again.

In any case, its dead. GParted Live doesn't work on it either, so I can't try to go back to the original partitions sizes - of which I have a record.