I have a Dell 9300 Inspiron with Windows XP SP2; sometime recently I attempted to CHECK a driver in the Device Manager and found it empty. Have searched for possible CAUSES and fixes for Empty Device Manager with no luck. Specifically, no Apropos bug found; also, Plug and Play automatic detection is checked. It may be a coincidence but at about the same time the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon went MISSING from the taskbar. System Restore has NEVER worked on this COMPUTER, and I understand that this may be because a quarantined malware file had been removed at some time in the past. Ugh. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!Travel to Dell's site and enter your service TAG #...
DLoad and re-install the listed drivers and re-boot and see if the condition improves.
Afterwards re-run all your malware scans and if there are still issues visit our Virus and Spyware section and follow the instructions for posting your logs.Try here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
#107 - right pane (Restore the Device Manager)