If you perform a clean install of Windows XP, and them restore the System State from a previous installation, 3rd party device drivers do not function.
When you restore the System State, the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services key, and sub-keys, are NOT restored, so that the driver entries for 3rd party device drivers are NOT available.
If you had a 3rd party network adapter, Device Manager would display the device with a black exclamation mark on a yellow background. If you type IPCONFIG /renew, you would receive an error.
To workaround this behavior:
1. Start / Run / devmgmt.msc / OK.
2. Expand the device category of the device that you want to fix.
3. Right-click the device and press Uninstall.
4. Press OK to confirm the removal.
5. Use the Action menu to Scan for hardware changes.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions.
7. To cause the device to function, you may have to right-click it and press Disable, pressing Yes to confirm, and then right-click it and press Enable.
NOTE: You could try to export the 3rd party sub-keys before you do the clean install, and import them before the System State restore. The restart you perform after the restore should enable the devices.
