If you have problems ni Windows 2000 or Windows XP installing a driver, with the folllowing error message:
The required section was not found in the INF
this might save you hours of fiddling around. In this case it happened with my vodafone/Globe Trotter 3G PCM card but I’ve seen people with scanners, printers etc experience the same problem. Basically the drivers won’t install, and that’s that.
1. Open your C:\Windows\Setupapi.log file, and look around for the “INF” reference. You should see something like
#E067 Could not locate section [ClassInstall32].
#E142 Class: {4D36E971-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}. Install failed. Error 0xe0000101: The required section was not found in the INF.
This tells you the section that is missing in the installation file. So now you need to find that file.
2. Go back up the log and see what INF file (a file with the last three letters, after the period, as inf, like c:\windows\inf\oem126.inf.)
3. That’s the file that’s causing the problems. Open the file in notepad (in some cases you can do this simply by pasting the full path and file name into Start/Run. Sometimes this won’t work.
4. Save a backup of the file in question.
5. Then in the original, add a section with the name of the missing section. In my case:
[ClassInstall32]
6. Save the INF file. Close it, remove the hardware and connect it again. Keep your fingers crossed. Now the installation should proceed normally.
(Here’s where I got some information for this from. An earlier version of this was posted on the Loose Wire Blog.)
Filed under: medium
Brilliant – it really worked like a charm!
Helped me big time!
Thank you so much!
[...] i always get following error "The required section was not found in the INF" …. i found this site now i have a feeling i am in a right direction but unfortunatly my SETUPAPI file dont have [...]
You are a genius. I have been going nuts trying to install a Microsoft Lifecam 5000 and this did the trick. Thanks a million!
I am trying to install a bluetooth dongle and keep getting The required section was not found in the INF.
Ive opened the log file as descibed and got this message. NOt sure what to do next.
#E077 Could not locate a non-empty section [iis_common_install] when calculating disk space in
“C:\WINDOWS\INF\iis.inf”. Error 0xe0000102: The required line was not found in the INF.
Brilliant!
You just won the most helpfull webpage of the WWW award!
Thnx 4 the detailled info
Mike
Hi all,
Thanks for this great post.
Peoples who are having same problem, but with vista, can do the following:
1- Open C:\Windows\inf.
2- locate the file (setupapi.dev.log) and open it.
3- Search for the problem (use search option and search for THE REQUIRED SECTION…), and from that line take the name of the driver that is having the problem, also take the name of the missing section (like [ClassInstall32])
4- Then you have to go to the folder C:\Windows\system32\driverstore\filerepository, and there locate the folder tht have the same name of the driver which have problem (also mentioned in the inf file), and open the folder.
5- In the inf file inside the folder you have to paste the missing section (ex: [ClassInstall32]), you can paste it at the end of the file then save it and exit, restart and install
N.B: you have to obtain permission in order to edit the inf file located in C:\Windows\system32\driverstore\filerepository. Search net for how to obtain that permission.
Hope that this info can help someones.
Hassan El-Husseini
You guys are awesome.. Hassan, thanks for the vista fix.
I’m not very smart but you did help after I read it a couple times thank you.
It Works! Thank you very much!