Dear Pauline,
Probably it is not a problem of your laptop. Perhaps you have installed an
update KB938371 and Windows Vista SP1. In many computers, USB sticks, mice,
and other devices did not work anymore. Microsoft has admitted the problem,
but surprisingly, they do not find a solution.
I wrote an email to Microsoft, and they advised me to restore my system with
the DVD shipped with the computer and then to refrain from downloading Vista
SP1. I hope they will have a solution soon. It is a desaster.
For some devices, this trick might work: When you plug in a USB device, and
Vista asks for a driver folder, let it search in this folder:
\windows\winsxs
However, when you unplug the device, the next time it may ask again for this
folder