Why isn't automatic hardware installation working?

[anubhavj1]

I have Windows XP SP2 on my PC.
The thing is that whenver I plug in a pen drive or any other USB device into the computer then instead of installing automatically.
I have to install it by following the steps that
1. A new Hardware has been found. Would you like to connect to the internet or install it from the computer itself?
2. Whether you would like to install it from a specific location or automatically?

After this the installation begins.
And this complte procedure untill I click the finish button takes about 3-4 minutes.
How do I make sure that the drivers are automatically installed each time I plug in the device?

In my laptop this problem never occurs and the drivers are automatically installed.
Could this be because the drivers are not present in the default location but rather somewhere else in the hard drive? If that be the case could I know which is the default postion of the drivers on the hard disk?

Please help if you can.

[ironcross77]

First go to Device Manager and check whether windows detectes the USB ports as USB 1.1 or 2.0. If it is still 1.1 update your motherboard drivers.