Base system device

Try to reinstalling the chipset drivers. Therefore check your motherboard's website  for the latest updates. Also check in the registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and see if there is something that points to your problem.

Run Everest from www.lavalys.com.  Then, click on the tab Physical Devices.  It should tell you what the device is.

If you look half way down this page: http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html, it will give you a bit more explanation.

Chipset drivers were re-installed...nothing in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run that points to the problem...

Don't necessarily want to buy a program to fix this, there is no trial version of Everest from lavalys.com

Sure there is: http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?ps=UE&lang=en.  Physical devices works in the trial version

Thanks aleinss...I will try it out and let you know...

Hi aleinss...started the computer as usual...the found new hardware wizard came up again...I let it go to the process to the end. It then said it could not install the hardware.
In device manager the "Base system device" is installed under the 'system devices' section.
I started up Everest and It also shows the device installed. I copied the following info....

Field      Value
Device Properties      
Driver Description      Base System Device
Hardware ID      PCI\VEN_104C&DEV_8201&SUBSYS_006D103C&REV_01
Location Information      PCI bus 2, device 4, function 2
PCI Device      Texas Instruments UltraMedia Firmware Loader Device
      
Device Resources      
Port      7400-743F

btw: system is a Compaq Presario R3000 AMD Processor, Running windows XP home edition

Any idea why the device would be installed in device manager but at the same time say that it could not be installed?
Also even if the "do not prompt to reinstall this hardware" box is checked (at the end of the wizard setup)it still prompts for reinstallation when the computer restarts. Is there any way just to stop the wizard from running at boot up?

I downloaded and installed everything on the HP drivers and support page that related to Texas instruments including the files you mentioned. No SD card reader included on this laptop, but I went ahead and download the install files for that. Same Results.
Base system device is sitting comfortably under the 'system devices' section of device manager indicating that it is there and properly installed
if you disable it.. the "found new hardware" wizard starts immediately...it then finishes by saying it cannot install the hardware, and then restarts.
(going in circles)

Aha! Got it...you were right aleinss...the driver files needed by the device were installed in the windows\system32 directory, I pointed the found new hardware wizard there and that fixed it. Mucho Thanks.

Glad you got it working!

I dont know how to thank you enough. had a dell xps m1210 with vista. formatted it and put in win xp pro. since then i keep getting the blue screen. device manager kept showing 3 base system device as unknown. all sites kept saying update chipset and i did that (only the intel chipset). only after experts exchange did i update the Ricoh chipset and now there are no unknown devices. thanks.