Welcome!
If it is a standard Windows driver file (which appears to be the case) then it will be loaded as part of every setup, just as the satndard drivers for many other devices are, irrespective of you actually having the device installed at the time.
I would suspect that your install CD may be scratched or dirty?
Faulty RAM will usually show up in a Windows install, but as "cannot find file" rather than a corrupt file.
If it is a standard Windows driver file (which appears to be the case) then it will be loaded as part of every setup, just as the satndard drivers for many other devices are, irrespective of you actually having the device installed at the time.
I would suspect that your install CD may be scratched or dirty?
Faulty RAM will usually show up in a Windows install, but as "cannot find file" rather than a corrupt file.