HP PhotoSmart 7260 & RPC Server

I have two computers. One of them is a desktop computer in a midi-tower case
and the other is a laptop. Both computers are running Windows XP. The HP
PhotoSmart 7260 USB printer prints fine when it is connected to the desktop
computer, but when I try to install the PhotoSmart 7260 drivers on the
laptop, I get this error message:-

"Installation failed -

The RPC Server is not available."

Can anyone please tell me why is this happening? And how do I make the RPC
Server available?

I also cannot bring up Administrative Tools on the laptop (every time I try to
double-click on the AT icon in Control Panel, it just does nothing) and I
also cannot bring up the 'Device Manager' window after double-clicking on the
'System' icon in Control Panel and clicking once on the 'Hardware' tab either.

But I have set up Firefox and PowerDVD on the laptop, so I just don't
understand why I am unable to install the HP PS 7260 drivers and bring up the
Device Manager / Administrative Tools windows on the laptop.