Windows XP Device Manager and Network Connections are empty – hotfix for Windows XP SP3.

Download this patch to fix an error where the Device Manager or Network Connections lists are empty or blank. Keep in mind that it will only fix the issue if it occured after you installed Windows XP SP3. It won’t help for other versions of Windows (eg 2000) or Windows XP Service Packs (SP1 or SP2). This is what’s happening:

You know those warnings to turn off your antivirus software when installing a new patch? There’s a good chance you’ve ignored it hundreds of times and not noticed a problem. Here is an example of what can go wrong. It’s not the end of the world, but it is annoying.

If you installed Windows SP3 and have gone to your Device Manager or Network Connections lists only to find that they are empty, there is a good chance your antivirus software is the culprit. According to Microsoft's usual gibberish: 'This problem occurs when the Fixccs.exe process is called during the Windows XP SP3 installation. This process creates some intermediate registry subkeys, and it later deletes these subkeys. In some cases, some antivirus applications may not let the Fixccs.exe process delete these intermediate registry subkeys. When this problem occurs, certain applications, such as Device Manager and Network Connections, may be unable to enumerate the device or the connection instances. These applications will report a blank status even though devices and connections still function as expected.'

In other words: when you are installing XP SP3, the antivirus software prevents some settings from being changed. Later on when you try to access Device Manager or Network Connections, these settings are all mixed up, so the lists are empty.

Microsoft

WindowsXP-KB953979-x86-ENU.exe

0.06MB

Windows XP with SP3 installed

DOWNLOAD Windows XP Device Manager and Network Connections are empty – hotfix for Windows XP SP3.