Windows can't find eithernet card driver

I just did buy a new eithernet card & installed it in my computer. When I restarted Windows (XP) the "found new hardware" message popped up like it should. But when I tried to install the drivers for the new card from the included floppy and even specified to look in drive A:\WINXP where the driver is, Windows could not find it. I don't know if this is a file association issue or what. If I double click the driver, it opens in notepad by default. I know that's not right. If this is the problem, then how can I change the file association? My mother board is an Abit NF7-S (comes with net card but it has failed.....thus the reason for installing a new card). The new card is a Trendnet 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit eithernet card. Thanks for any help.

I dont have a Windows install to hand so excuse me if details here arent great. Go into System properties and start up the Device manager. Find your network card (which will probably have a little (!) next to it) and double click it. Choose to update driver and point it specifically to that directory.

If that doesnt work I'm not sure what will.

RIGHT click on the file , go to PROPERTIES (at the bottom) , then CHANGE ; there will be a list of "file options" for you to change to .

Is there another folder in the WINXP? or if there's a *.inf file you could right click --> Install.

Start
Control Panel
Classic View (link on left)
System
Hardware Tab
Device Manager
Network Adapters (or other devices, just fine the yellow !)
Right click on this...properties....
...Device tab, then update driver.

Direct it to the driver file, and you should be set. Otherwise, remove the driver, then go immediately to add new hardware, winXP will find it, ask you for the disk, then will check the disk, and you shoul be set.

I would first right click on my computer, go to hardware, set driver signing to ignor. Then go to device manager do the install from the specific directory. Don't let it auto search or it might play stupid and not find it. THat should do the trick.

If that doesnt work then change pci slots, download new drivers, etc. SOmetimes its the pci slot. If you tried all of that and failed then it might be time to throw in the towel.

Thanks for all the replies! Sorry I haven't followed up with a reply sooner....it's been crazy around here for a quite a while, I rarely have been able to spend any leasure time on my computer for several months now. Even when I setup the install program to install from the specific directory the driver is in windows still says that it cannot find a driver. I'm thinking more & more that it's a file association issue. Because when I double click the driver it just opens up in notepad. That shouldn't be. How can I chang that? I know that I can right click it & select "open with" from a list, but what should I choose?

I had a similiar problem before try this: uninstall any of the drivers, shut down the PC, remove the card. Start the machine and load the drivers from disk, then shut it down reinstall the card and start it back up and see if it works.