After you repeatedly dock and undock a Windows XP-based portable computer that is connected to a docking station, you may be unable to change the state of an attached network device

On a Windows XP-based portable computer that is connected to a docking station, you configure different hardware profiles settings for the network device. However, after you repeatedly dock and undock the computer, you may be unable to change the state of the network device. Additionally, you may see inconsistent results in Device Manager for the network device.

For example, you have an Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394-compliant network device that is enabled when the computer is undocked and disabled when the computer is docked. After you dock and undock the computer several times, you cannot enable or disable the network device. If you try to disable the network device in Network Connections when network device is enabled, you may receive an error message that resembles the following: Additionally, if you right-click the IEEE 1394-compliant network device in Device Manager, you may see the Enable option even though the device is already enabled.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or a later service pack installed on the computer. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows XP with Service Pack 2, x86-based versions

Windows XP with Service Pack 3, x86-based versions

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: