Does anyone know what the PCI Simple Communicator Controller does? Mine has a big yellow question mark!?

Question

It says it cannot find a driver device to install it?!

It's in "other devices" in the tree

hey Robin thank you. I have XP Prof and there are no other devices with such a sign. I uninstalled it, and dang! if it didn't return after I shut down the computer. I hate to sound so STUPID, but I have no clue what is going on. DEAD is pretty SERIOUS, so I must be working like you said. What kills it? This machine was given to me by a friend who got a new MAC. Is there a site I can go to? Should I be expecting my machine (my GiGiMeister) to just stop?

Answer 1

The other answer that you just ignore the big YELLOW EXCLAMATION MARK
is wrong. Your PCI SIMPLE COMM Controller is dead, and that would
likely be your 56K modem. ( MOD ulator/ DEM odulator )
Since you are posting your question on the internet, I will assume
that you are using a WORKING ethernet LAN card installed on the
same HARDWARE DEVICES list. You do not state what your operating system
is, nor do you state if there are any OTHER Yellow, RED, or BLUE
question marks, X's, or exclamations on the list.

The PCI Simple COmm devices, in my experience, are ANYTHING BUT simple,
and require EXACT drivers. In XP, when it first came out, a Simple
COMM card that worked just fine ( Plug and Pray ) in Microsoft
ME, Microsoft Win98, Microsoft Win 95, would suddenly quit working,
with the Microsoft Error popping up that the driver was NOT MicroSoft
Certified, although MS WinXP would list the device name, the model,
the manufacturer, and list the correct RESOURCES... IRQ's, Mem, and
I/0 used, and often even state that " THIS DEVICE IS WORKING PROPERLY",
although it was totally dead... It would take days of searching on the web to find an XP patch to get the device working, if at all. It was
often easier just to go and get a cheap $12 PCI moden that came with
MicroSoft Win XP drivers in the box...

With Service Pack 1 ( from the Microsoft website ) " SOME " of these
SIMPLE devices would work, and then with Service Pack 2, More worked,
and with the GIGABYTES of patches and updates from Microsoft, ( on
a 0.8 GIG program, XP ) finally, most of these devices are starting to
work. Why Microsoft, who had the Plug and Pray ( Plug and Play ) PnP
drivers correct in 95, 98, ME, etc. went suddenly deaf, dumb and blind
in XP, one can only guess...
Websites from the MANUFACTURERs of the cards, ( The Brand name sometimes written in WHITE SCREEN PRINT on the green circuit boards )
have SLOWLY started to post " generic " drivers for XP. The CHIPSET
corporations ( Motorola, Conexant, etc. ) are also slowly posting
a few generic drivers for chipsets that they earlier, denied that
they even made ( proprietary, for a single company, such as HP, Dell,
Gateway etc. ), so that the situation is improving.

Since I can't see the SYSTEM, Sevice Manager, list of devices,
and the RESOURCES ( I/O, DMA, MEMORY, and IRQ ), I can only guess
a few general things you might try.

Unlike the suggestion that you just " ignore " the problem, I would
suggest you try to resolve the hardware in your computer - it is sitting there, dead, and will come back to haunt you if you add other
software or hardware that does not " KNOW " ( Plug and Pray ) that
there is a dead PCI card sitting there, with all the gold card contacts
connected to the motherboard, ready to kill whatever new installation
you are trying to do...

The first thing to try is to REMOVE the device, and SHUT DOWN the
computer. Wait 15 seconds for the harddrives to stop spinning, and the
capacitors all over the computer to completely drain to Zero volts.
Restart. ( ie don't just do a click on RESTART ).
Turn on the computer and see if the computer " FINDS " the device,
and installs it. If it ASKS for a driver, and can't find one, and
states that the device is NOT installed, then you either have:
1/ a version of windows that does not have the updates
2/ a PCI " SIMPLE " Comm device that is unusual enough that you
will have to take it out, read all the labels and White
Screen Print on the card to hopefully find the manufacturer
of the card, OR read the manufacturer of the CHIP, and go
to the website to see if there is a patch.
Another excellent source is to go to DRIVERGUIDE.COM and sign up
free, and put in the card name, the chip name, or the name that
Windows reports when it " FINDS NEW DEVICE " after you REMOVE it,
and see if other people have posted the same card's drivers...

You can also " TRY " to go to Microsoft's rather CORPORATE website,
and see if you can get an UPDATE of drivers, although there are a
lot of people who find, with FULLY LICENCED Windows Operating Systems,
they are denied updates... It would have been really helpfull if you had given a few more details, such as the OS you are using, and
if there were other conflicts listed... you will find more details when
you REMOVE the DEVICE, and watch closely to see WHAT Windows finds...

I have found computers with 3 or 4 DEAD devices in them, and the
owners were totally unaware that they even HAD the devices at all. The
owners WERE of course, aware that the computers were acting strange,
and NEW devices or software would not work... The owners did not know
there was a DEVICE MANAGER or SYSTEM folder... etc... You at least
are aware that something is wrong....

Without more information, I can only guess, -- hopefully, one of my suggestions will get you going.... I do not suggest " ignorance is
bliss " with computers, since the problems you have now will only
cause even more problems in the future... You may be having problems
NOW that you do not realize are related to this DEAD card sitting
on the motherboard...

hope this helps

robin

Answer 2

I'm available 4 Pm on abiusx@yahoo 4 mail [e-mail]
more Q's pm me, Don't forget the best answers!
_______________________

Okay,
PCI Simple Cummunicator Controller is a device which embeds extra PCI and COM slots and ports into your windows.

For example if you are using a Conexant modem on COM3, You may need to install one of them (on win98), then, there will be a COM3 Emulated, to install the hardware on.

Don't worry, if you have got no problem with ur sys, And if non of the key hardwares fail, It's of no importance. leave it be

more info, I'm there!