unknown drivers

Someone borrowed my computer for a while. Now whenever I boot it gives a message six times for an unknown device, cannot find hardware. I’ve tried to correct this but unsuccessfully. I use WIN98SE Thanks for helping.

Opening screen says "new hardware found." I press cancel. Next screen says "add new hardware wizard" - "This wizard searches for new drivers for: Unknown Device "“ Windows has found new hardware and is searching for it." I press cancel again because there is no new hardware to find.

I have to go through this routine six times every time I boot.

 

What is the exact displayed message ?
regards

 

Not trying to usurp Merlin's question or overlook his method but,

It may well be trying to redetect and install something of yours or possibly re-enable the drivers for something. I'm sure your friend went through the same detection and changes. Particularly if he had different components such as monitor, printer, mouse, speakers, scanner, usb verses pci etc. Windows will detect such changes on a bootup.

Let it do it's thing and see what it comes up. Worse case scenario is you'd have to bootup in safemode and remove devices or duplicates you don't have from device manager. You should probably do this anyway as there may be ghost components left over from your friends setup. Speaking of Device Manager have you looked in there to see if somethings amiss ie; missing that should be there or is there that shouldn't, or marked as disabled?

No big deal really, as a person who lugs computers boxes around here there and everywhere and tends to attach them to what ever secondary devices, as previously mentioned, are available, I find myself doing this.