weird problem

I'm trying to fix a friend's computer and everytime it reboots it detects new hardware called "joystick_de_consula_01", but has no drivers for it (and there's certainly no hardware for it, this is a perfectly normal machine...) furthermore in the control panel there's an icon called "parrallel port joysticks" and it opens some kind of configuration utility for joysticks. I want to get rid of both of these problems, but I've no idea how. I would rather not reformat.

winxp pro (sp1 and other updates are all done)
p4 1800
512 pc800
gf2 ti
sb audigy
dvd, cdrw drives
40gb 7200 hdd
linksys network card

Start-Control Panel-System- Hardware-Device Manager.
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Go down the list looking for the joystick entry, it will probably have a yellow exclamation point next to it. Right click and click uninstall. If you can not find an entry named joystick, game device ... check to see if there is a problem entry in any other folder. Again, there will be a yellow or red mark.
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You might also want to check ...Start-Run- type in 'msconfig' hit enter. Check the startup tab. These are all the programs that start with windows. There might be something there refering to a joystick. Un-check it.

For it is not what is seen, but what is not seen.