When Plug and Play Doesn’t Work
If, when you connect a new component, Windows XP doesn’t display a message like the one at top in Figure 14-2, it probably can’t “see” your new device.
If you’ve installed an internal card, make sure that it’s seated in the slot firmly (after shutting down your computer, of course).
If you attached something external, make sure that it has power and is correctly connected to the PC.
In either case, before panicking, try restarting the PC. If you still have no luck, try the Add New Hardware Wizard described in the next section. (And if even that doesn’t work, call the manufacturer.)
If your new gadget didn’t come with a disk (or maybe just a disk with drivers, but no installer), then hooking it up may produce the “Found New Hardware” balloon shown at top in Figure 14-2. Click the balloon to make the New Hardware Wizard appear (Figure 14-2, bottom). In that case, proceed like this:
If you have the drivers on a disk from the manufacturer. Select the first option, “Install the software automatically,” insert the driver disk if it’s not already in the machine, and then click Next. Windows either finds the compatible driver and installs it automatically, or offers you a choice of several.
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