Greetings,
I have a similar problem. Hard disk crashed. Reinstalled XP Pro with SP2 on HP Pavilion a1642x. Downloaded drivers from HP, but installation fails for many with the same issue.
Error 1727 COM: Invalid class string
As I don't have a working network adapter, I'd be very greatful for some help. the PCI\Ven number is:
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_104C&SUBSYS_2A36103C&REV_02\3&2411E6FE&02&C8
Thanks.