Hope I can get some help on this one. While trying to install lexmark X5150 on xp machine (sp2) i get error message "There was a problem installing this hardware. An error occured during the installation of the device. The specified port is unknown". Got me beat what to do next. XP detects the printer is there but then tells me the port is unknown? What the? I've tried all I know what to do, new drivers, old drivers, changed usb devices around (all work fine),new usb cables, installed ok on another xp machine but not this one Help before I go insane
Thanks
Steve

Can you go into Device Manager (right-click on My Computer and select the Properties option, then click on the Hardware tab) and see if there are any conflicts with your USB controller?

Was the other XP machine running SP2 as well?

No conflicts with the usb controller. Yes the other machine has sp2 as well. Although this problem was there before sp2 was done, I hoped sp2 might have helped but still the same

searching xp groups:

The specified port is unknown

found this tip:

"Have you rebooted between installing the software and plugging in? That
sometimes is what is needed - it is not until the next boot that PnP can
correctly find things. "

and this link to the Help & Support Trouble Shooter:

Resources for troubleshooting printing problems in Windows XP

It won't let me install software without the printer attached, when I try to do so it just cancels the installation and wont give me an option to continue until its plugged in. When i do plug it it then tells me the all to familiar message 'the specified port is unknown'!

update. after a bit more snooping around I've been able to get the thing installed most of the way but still get the error message. Yellow triangle ! tells me there is a problem, so I look and what do I get? the specified port is unknown! again. When I got to printer/properties/ports I find I don't have a usb port I can enable (as directed by lexmark and others). me thinks a problem lies within! but I have no idea how to "put" a port there. All the help suggestions haven't worked so far. Lookin and waiting for yoda to answer this mystery!

What entry in Device Manager is the yellow triangle against?

Sorry, forgot to put that in. I think it was scan. Anyway I'd had enough of it and reinstalled xp last night and now it all works. (sort of!) Now i can't start the computer while the cable is connected to the printer! it just loops over and over in the safe mode/last known good/start normally etc screen. Unplug the usb cable from printer and hey presto, starts up. plug cable back in to print. Strange things going on here but a least I can print. Now to solve the start up with cable in issue