Windows 8.1 fails to install device drivers - Data is Invalid & "UpdateDriverForPlugAndPlayDevices: error".

Question

When I attempt to install device drivers via their installer or by using "update driver" in device manager, the install fails with the message "Data is Invalid".

For instance, the MTP USB driver to enable access to my old mp3 player fails when I do this:

1. Plug in the device into a USB port.
2. Open device manager which show the device with a yellow exclamation mark.
3. Double-click on the device to bring up the device properties.
4. Click on "update driver" and click on "Searc automatically for updated driver software".

At this point the install process shows a dialog box that states:

"Windows encountered a problem installing the driver software for your device

Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error while attempting to install it.

MTP USB Device

The data is invalid"

This error also occurs when attempting to do the same for my WD USB ext HDD. Also, this particular driver is offered by Windows Updates which also fails to install with error code 0x800700D.

A different error occurs when attempting to install the driver for my jMicron eSATA controller. The install fails with message "UpdateDriverForPlugAndPlayDevices: error". I'm not sure if this problem is related to the first or not.

I have tried a number of things but no joy. These include:

Ran sfc /scannow (no problems).

Checked permissions on the various registry keys relating to PCI and USB devices (they seem ok).

Ran sigverif which report no problems.

Ran the windows update troubleshooter.

Any help is appreciated.

Cheers

Answer 1

Hi,

What is the make and model of the computer?

If default permissions have been altered for the 'Root' key or any subkey(s), we would see the error code 0x8007000D.

Remove the all externally connected devices, keep the computer in a clean boot, and install/update the device driver.

Keep the computer in a clean boot status and check.

How to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

Note: Please refer to the section: “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot” of the Kb article to boot the computer in normal startup after fixing the issue.

You can also try this.

The Motherboard chipset has a driver which can affect the speed and stability of many of the devices built into your motherboard. It is fairly common for computers to be running with old chipset drivers or to use the basic default drivers built into Windows. It would be a good idea to install the latest chipset drivers.

Hope this information helps you. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Thanks for you reply.

The computer is home-built (CPU i7 2600k @ 4.5GHz, Mobo ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 (latest BIOS), 8GB RAM, 2x Samsung 840 SSD in RAID-0). This machine has been running Win7 x64 since January 2012 with zero issues.

I performed the clean boot but it made no difference.

I attempted to re-install the chipset drivers but this failed with a vague message that the install had encountered an error and could not continue.

So, it's beginning to look to me that the OS will not allow *any* drivers to install. I've been researching this problem for nearly a week now and have not found a solution. Indeed, I have found instances of this problem ("Data is invalid"), or something very similar going back to Win2000 days.

Given all that I'm seriously thinking of doing a complete reinstall of the OS because I suspect that there is some sort of corruption and in my experience it's just easier with Windows to just nuke it from orbit and start again.

Thanks again

Cheers

Answer 3

Hi,

Thank you for the reply.

As a work around, run the DISM tool, restart the computer and check.

Refer to “Use the inbox Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool to fix corruption errors” from the following link.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947821/en-us

Answer 4

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. I ran the first command from an elevated command prompt and it completed with the message:

Given that it reports no problems, I didn't bother with the second command. This is a complete mystery to me. I'm concerned that if I do a clean reinstall the same problem will happen again.

Cheers

Answer 5

Please share the c:\windows\inf\setupapi.dev.log and all the files from c:\windows\logs\cbs folder.

Also check whether HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DeviceInstall\Parameters\DeviceInstallDisabled registry is set.

If it's set to 1, please delete the registry setting and restart the system to see if that fixes the issue.

Let us know the results.

-Eliyas